What the changes in Google Search Results mean for your business

Have you noticed that Google search results are looking a little different lately?

There’s a bunch of new features popping up and you have no idea how to work them into your current online marketing strategy.

And let’s face it: ranking on Google was already a confusing thing. Now it seems like they’ve gone and completely changed how it works!

So what’s going on?

Long story short, Google Search Results have and will continue to change. And those changes are here to stay it seems.

To keep your business visible where your customers can see you, it’s essential to learn to work with them.

But that’s what we’re here to help with.

Let’s break down what’s going on with Google Search Results right now and what they mean for your business.

What we’re used to seeing on search results pages

Google search results used to consist of two things:

Organic & paid results

These make up the bulk of the search engine results page (SERPs). Once upon a time, whatever wasn’t a sponsored advert was an organic listing gained via long term use of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

Organic results for your website are gained from doing SEO and creating content that covers topics interesting to your customers. So that when they search for solutions, it’s your content that comes up.

A prime example of organic SEO is blogging.

As a business, you can set up a blog and use it to publish content that’s geared toward your audience. The search engine algorithm will take notice of this and start putting you in a place where your customers are more likely to find you.

Google Business is another example of a great way to achieve organic results via SEO.

A Google Business profile is free to create, allowing you to display real customer reviews and provide details like your opening hours and contact number. This helps you to stand out in your local area and be matched with local customers searching for your product or service.

A new kind of organic result – AI overviews

AI overviews collect together the most important information in answer to a search query and pop into an easy to see section in the most visible part of the results page.

It then displays links to the sites it pulled the information from, allowing the user to click through to the same sources if they would like to see more.

Google’s AI system Gemini seems to have taken hold of search results pages in recent months. It’s rare to see a search term used without an AI overview appearing at the top of the page.

And if you clicked through to this article because AI overviews have got you the most worried, we’ll be going through a few ways to use them to your benefit a bit later.

Paid ads

You’ve probably seen a couple of listings at the top of a results page that have ‘Ad’ in bold next to them. This is where paid ads make up the last of what we’re used to seeing on SERPS.

On Google, paid ads are PPC adverts. Pay-per-click advertising does exactly what it says on the tin; you only pay when someone clicks on one of your adverts. It’s a pretty cost effective way to get to the top of a results page.

PPC placements are like an auction where you ‘bid’ to win a sponsored spot at the top of the results page. Create an advert, set it to target your customers, and then set your advertising budget and bid amount.

All in all, these are two very popular and effective methods of ranking on a results page. If you’re a business owner, you’ve probably used them time and time again to drive traffic to your website pages, products, and checkout.

But search results pages have been changing recently

Google is constantly refining their algorithm to deliver value to the end user. This is anyone using Google to find the products and services they need.

This means the search results need to change just as much as user behaviour does. To keep up with this, Google has added many new features to search results to try and ensure a great user experience.

These features are now changing how searching works. As a business trying to rank on Google, it’s crucial to understand what these features are for and how you can make use of them.

As such, let’s break down some of the most notable features that have changed the search engine landscape we used to know and love.

Many more product ads

The PPC advertising system on Google allows for various different kinds of product ads. Ads that link to a product page, ads that lift directly from the ‘Shopping’ tab, and ads that link to an app to download are all common examples that can pop up on the first page.

But in 2025, these ads no longer just insert easily into the search results page. Depending on how directly a user is searching for a product, these ads can now take up a lot more room on the first page of Google.

Local service ads

Another common example of a Google ad, local service ads allow businesses to get to the top of the results page when someone searches for a location-based keyword.

A business that has a local services ads campaign may be seen before another business that does not, even if they’re both using SEO to reach local customers.

But don’t panic. Even if a business is seen first, it isn’t guaranteed that they’ll get more customer conversions. That’s something we’re going to go through in more detail down below.

Local map packs

Another feature created to boost the power of local searches, a local map pack will list three of the most relevant local businesses when someone searches for a service in their area.

These businesses will be listed alongside details like their address, contact number, and customer reviews.

Local map packs are all about fast conversions, allowing a customer to find a reliable business in just a couple of clicks.

‘People also ask’ (PAA)

People also ask isn’t a new Google results feature, but it has become a very notable one in the past couple of years.

This section of the results page will tell you what similar keywords, phrases, and questions your customers are using to find the information, products, and services they want.

If you’ve been looking for a free SEO tool you don’t have to sign up for – or pay the premium subscription price to see the full results of – look no further than PAA.

Image based results

Have you heard of Google Lens? This is where users can take a picture of something they want to search for and upload it to Google. Google then matches the image to websites where similar images can be found.

This often allows a user to bypass the need to search and go straight to the right page that has what they’re looking for.

So what does this mean for your business?

All of these new features might seem intimidating and confusing. They’ve changed the way search works and it feels impossible to keep up with them.

However, new search features are not the enemy of your business. In fact, they can be used to increase your online visibility, amount of impressions, and click through rate.

It’ll take effort to get used to them, but ranking on Google was always hard work.

Nowadays, your business just has a bunch of new ways to get customers clicking through, finding what they want, and heading to the checkout.

With that in mind, here are just a few of the ways you can make the Google Search Results changes work for you.

Insights into what your customers are thinking – for free!

PAA is a good way to get an insight into what your customers are searching for and why. If you’ve ever felt that your keyword bank isn’t big enough, pay attention to what pops up in the People Also Ask section when you Google your keywords yourself.

This can enable you to better target the best end user for you. After all, with a larger selection of relevant keywords to use, as well as an insight into what questions your customers want answering, you can create more appealing and valuable content for your website.

More opportunities for local SEO

A focus on local SEO is a great strategy for any business that relies on commerce from their immediate surrounding area.

Tradespeople are a good example of a type of business that benefits best from using local SEO practices, such as targeting location based keywords and creating location relevant content.

Features like local service ads and the local map pack can only make this strategy stronger.

Local service ads allow you to build customer leads directly, as customers can immediately see you, pick you out, and your details are right there for them to contact you.

Within local service ads, Google has also introduced programs like Google Guarantee to indicate that a business can be trusted to deliver an optimum service to its customers.

And if you have a high user engagement rate, you’re more likely to be placed in the top-ranking local map pack too. The best way to get that? Create optimised website content that’s been made to provide the customer with everything they need to know.

Go through your Google Business profile

A complete Google Business profile has a lot of power in the search results landscape. With a fully fleshed out profile on your side, anyone searching for your product or service is 70% more likely to pay you a visit.

With all of these changes being rapidly deployed in recent times, now’s the time to make sure your Google Business profile is as complete as can be.

Continue creating quality content

Do you remember the local services ads we mentioned above? We said it’s not guaranteed for this upfront visibility to translate into paying customers, and that’s all down to what the customer finds on the other side of the ad link.

If they click through and find the content they’re greeted with is poor quality, unoptimised, and has nothing to really offer them, they’re going to click off and go elsewhere. Even if it’s the right service and contact details are readily available, this poor click through experience will do nothing to convert the user.

Image based results also take this into account. When it comes to a feature like Google Lens, the ranking algorithm discounts any commercial results. Product ads simply won’t make it into a Google Lens result. This ensures any link that pops up – whether it’s a direct ‘Shopping’ link or a blog post – is ranked according to the relevancy and usefulness of the link itself.

Once again, a website that provides a good customer experience via its content is likely to come higher than a website that’s taken less care to ensure this.

Worried about AI? Focus on the user experience

With the widespread use of AI overviews across Google search results, there may be one question playing heavily on your mind right now: Will anyone ever even see your content again?

Yes. Really! AI overviews aren’t something you’ll be able to control, but you can increase your chances of being featured by playing by the best SEO rules.

First, focus on what kind of content you’re creating. High quality, original content has always been prioritised on Google, but now it matters more than ever.

Within this, remember that AI overviews are meant for answering questions directly and seamlessly, so the end user finds what they’re looking for ASAP.

If your content skirts round the question or can mostly be described as ‘filler’, your chances of being featured will sink dramatically low. Instead, start creating content that’s customer oriented and answers their queries directly.

Then think about your authority. The more experience you can bring to a topic, the more likely you are to be featured in an AI overview.

If you’re an expert in your niche, be sure to highlight this through your content. Offer insights a customer won’t be able to find elsewhere.

You should also keep it simple. The more complex your language is, the less likely you are to be featured by Google’s AI.

When you write, try to do so in clear and concise ways that won’t make the user experience more difficult for your customers.

Try to get some more backlinks as well. A backlink from another well established and trustworthy website will indicate that your content has legitimacy.

Consistently creating original content that provides something new and interesting is the best way to ensure these kinds of links.

You can also increase your chances of being linked to by offering to guest post on other websites within your niche that you know and trust.

Finally, optimise for the user experience. Remember, AI overviews want search users to have a smooth and easy time. Optimise your own website to ensure this as well.

This is where user experience (UX) comes in. A good UX means a customer has enjoyed using your website. They didn’t find it difficult to understand or navigate through.

Part of this is ensuring your layout makes sense, but it also means refining your pages to be responsive and fast loading.

You should also double check how your website appears on mobile devices. Make sure it’s still easy to use, perfectly readable, and there are no features missing.

Is organic SEO still worth it in 2025?

Yes it is. SEO now needs to work much closer with all channels within your marketing. It’s different to how it used to be, now there’s different types of organic search results to go after.

Repurposing your content to squeeze more value out of it is the way to go now in SEO. It’s exciting!

After all, your advertising cost, and inclusion in features like local map packs and image based results, are based on your organic search engine ranking.

Remember, these new features aren’t meant to create a shortcut for those who can pay.

To rank on a search engine, you need to position yourself as an authority. You need to create quality content your customers need and want.

No matter what features are available, no website link will ever sit highly on SERPs without this long term SEO focus in the background.

Need advice on adapting to the changing search engine landscape? Chat with us