If you rely on Google for leads, these three shifts aren’t “interesting news”, they’re a direct risk to your pipeline over the next 6–12 months:
- People can now hide sponsored (paid) results.
- AI answers questions before users ever see your site.
- Personalised results mean your “we rank #1” screenshots are mostly fiction.
If you rely on Google for leads, these three shifts aren’t “interesting news”, they’re a direct risk to your pipeline over the next 6–12 months:
Your Ads Just Got Easier to Ignore
Google is rolling out a clearly labelled “Sponsored results” block with a simple link: “Hide sponsored results.”
Tap it once, and the entire ad block disappears for that search.
Why it matters
If you rely on Google Ads:
- Some people will now choose not to see your ads at all.
- Your Google Ads data won’t show who hid your ads — just fewer impressions and a quieter CTR.
- As more people block sponsored results, organic visibility gets more valuable and more competitive.
Simple example:
- Spend: $20,000/month on Google Ads
- If ~15% of people on key searches hide sponsored results
- That’s effectively $3,000/month of ads they’re choosing not to see
Same spend, less attention.
What to do…
Stop running lazy ads.
- Clear offer. Clear outcome. Clear proof.
- If the copy wouldn’t make you click, don’t expect anyone else to.
Strengthen your organic presence.
- Relying on paid alone just got riskier.
Watch total search performance, not just Ads.
- Track overall search: traffic, leads, revenue
- Not only what’s in the Google Ads dashboard.
AI Mode: Google Answers Before They Ever See You
Google’s AI mode turns search into a conversation. Instead of a list of links, users get:
- An AI-written answer at the top
- Follow-up prompts (“compare X vs Y”, “plan Z…”)
- Recommendations, summaries and sometimes product picks
Users don’t need to “adopt AI” to use this. They just ask a normal question and tap the big AI box at the top.
Why it matters
- More people will get their answer from the AI panel and never scroll.
- Google chooses which sites to pull from. If you’re not seen as helpful, you’re invisible inside AI mode.
- Answers are personalisedfor logged-in users – what you see for your brand is notwhat a cold prospect sees.
The shift:
- Old world:“How do we rank #1?”
- New world:“How do we become a sourcethe AI trusts enough to quote or recommend?”
What to do
Write for humans first, AI second.
- Clear answers. Strong headings. FAQs on key pages.
Target real questions, not just keywords.
- “Cost of…”, “best way to…”, “X vs Y”, “how to choose…”
- Create pages that answer one core questionbetter than anyone else.
Make your content easy to summarise.
- Bullet points, comparison tables, step-by-step sections.
- AI loves structured content; it can lift and condense.
Personalised Results: Your Rankings Aren’t What You Think
Google personalises results using:
- Search history
- Website and app activity
- Location and device
- Other Google product history (e.g. YouTube)
When you’re logged in, results tilt in your favour:
- If you’ve visited your own site a lot, Google shows you moreof it.
- That makes rankings look better for youthan they do for a new customer.
Most people never touch these settings. Even “turning off” personalisation is often temporary and per-query.
Why it matters
- There is no single “true” rankinganymore.
- Your own searches are rigged to flatter you.
- Your ideal prospect — with no brand history — may see you buried or not at all.
What to do
Stop using your own Google as a KPI.
- Check in incognito. Use tools that de-personalise results.
Focus on outcomes, not positions.
- Leads, revenue, conversion rate from organic.
- Trend lines > “we’re #2 vs #3 for this phrase”.
Make it easy to find you cold.
- Strong local SEO (accurate name, address, phone, hours).
- Clear brand + service combos (e.g. “Brand – Plumber in [Suburb]”).
What Happens If You Ignore This
If you do nothing:
- Ads:You keep paying more for a shrinking share of eyeballs as more users hide or skip sponsored results.
- AI Mode:Google will still answer your prospects’ questions — it will just quote your competitorsinstead of you.
- Personalisation:Your own search results will keep telling you you’re fine… while your leads quietly slow and you’re 6–12 months behind reality.
That’s how the stories start:
“We used to get heaps of leads from Google.”
These three changes are how you stay visible— and stay in the lead flow — while everyone else argues about whether anything really changed.
Thanks for reading