Google introduces sticky sponsored results label and hide ads control

On October 13, 2025, Google announced changes to how advertisements appear on search results pages. Text ads will now display under a single "Sponsored results" label instead of individual sponsored designations for each advertisement. The company also introduced a "Hide sponsored results" control that allows users to collapse text advertisements with one click.

Omkar Muralidharan, VP of Product Management and Data Science at Google, stated that "billions of people turn to Google Search for information" and the goal is "to help them find it seamlessly." The announcement outlined two primary modifications: a grouped labeling system and a user control feature for collapsing advertisements.

The new "Sponsored results" label remains visible as users scroll through search results. This persistent header marks a departure from traditional labeling where each individual advertisement carried its own sponsored designation. Testing conducted by Google indicated that "the new design helps people navigate the top of the page more easily," according to the official statement.

The grouped label applies to text advertisements appearing in search results. Shopping ads and other advertising units on the results page also received the updated "Sponsored" label. The company emphasized that "the new design keeps the size of ads the same and you'll still never see more than four text ads in a grouping."

The hide control represents a new functionality for search users. By clicking the control, users can collapse all text advertisements in a grouped section, focusing exclusively on organic search results. This feature gives users direct control over advertisement visibility without requiring account settings or browser extensions.

These updates began rolling out globally on desktop and mobile platforms on October 13, 2025. The implementation affects all users accessing Google Search, regardless of geographic location or device type.

Technical implementation and display mechanics

The sticky header design ensures the "Sponsored results" label maintains visibility during vertical scrolling. As users move down the search results page, the label stays anchored at the top of the viewport. This persistent positioning differs from standard page elements that scroll out of view.

Individual advertisements beneath the grouped header display standard formatting elements including advertiser name, URL, headline, and description text. The company maintained existing size constraints for advertisements, capping text ad groups at four advertisements maximum.

The labeling system extends beyond text advertisements. Shopping ads, which display product images, pricing, and merchant information, now carry the simplified "Sponsored" label. This unified approach to advertisement labeling applies across different advertising formats within search results.

The hide functionality operates through a single-click mechanism. Users who activate the control see text advertisements collapse, revealing organic search results that would otherwise appear below the advertising section. The control does not remove advertisements from the page permanently; users can restore advertisement visibility through the same control.

Context within search results modifications

The October 13 announcement follows a series of changes to advertisement presentation in Google Search throughout 2025. On September 24, 2025, digital marketing professionals documented a shift where Google consolidated individual "Sponsored" labels into a single "Sponsored results" header above paid advertisement groups. Harpreet, a revenue-focused SEO consultant, first reported seeing advertisements grouped under a single header at 12:22 AM on September 24.

That September modification eliminated individual advertisement labels that previously appeared adjacent to each paid listing. Ross Stevens, an independent SEO consultant specializing in technical SEO and PPC strategy, noted at 3:38 PM on September 24 that "Google SERPs only shows one label for 'sponsored results'. Leaning on the user's lack of attention to know if they're still looking at sponsored or organic listings."

The October 13 update appears to formalize and expand the grouped labeling approach that marketing professionals observed in September. The addition of the hide control represents new functionality not present in the earlier September observations.

Earlier in 2025, on July 22, Google removed the prominent "Sponsored" label from "Find Related Products & Services" search ad units. The company replaced the large sponsored designation with a smaller disclaimer positioned at the bottom of commercial suggestion sections. Ginny Marvin, Google's Ads Liaison, explained on July 23, 2025, that "this is a unit placed by Google that provides commercial search suggestions related to your search terms."

On April 21, 2025, Google modified search ad positioning to allow advertisers to appear in multiple positions simultaneously on search results pages. That change permitted advertisers showing among top ads to also participate in bottom ad auctions. Testing revealed that the modification increased rates of highly relevant ads by approximately 10% and improved bottom ad conversions by about 14%, according to internal data collected from January to March 2025.

A technical glitch on September 17, 2025, affected users across multiple global markets between approximately 1am and 6am Eastern Time. The bug generated search pages containing as many as 22 Google Ads in a single search results page. The serving error prevented Google's systems from displaying the standard balance between organic search results and paid advertisements.

Implications for user behavior and advertiser visibility

The persistent label design affects how users perceive advertisement boundaries as they scroll. Once users move past the single "Sponsored results" header, individual listings beneath maintain visual formatting similar to organic results without repeated sponsored indicators. This design requires users to maintain continuous awareness of which section they're viewing.

John Reinesch, a marketing consultant focusing on storage facility customer acquisition, provided analysis of similar grouped header modifications on September 24. "Some users will mistake paid ads for the 'best' or 'most relevant' options, not realizing they're seeing who paid the most to be there," Reinesch noted. He characterized such modifications as part of a strategy to make "ads feel seamless. Trusted. Like the default experience."

For advertisers operating paid search campaigns, the modification presents potential performance implications. Reinesch suggested that visual changes "may boost your click-through rates" for PPC campaigns. The grouped presentation consolidates advertisement space under a unified header, potentially creating clearer visual separation between paid and organic sections.

The hide control introduces a new variable in advertisement visibility. Users who activate the control remove all text advertisements from their view, potentially reducing advertisement impressions for campaigns targeting those users. However, users must actively choose to hide advertisements, suggesting that passive scrollers will continue seeing standard advertisement presentations.

Desktop and mobile implementations differ due to viewport size constraints. Mobile users encounter the single "Sponsored results" header at the top of their screens, with paid listings consuming vertical space before organic results appear. Desktop users see similar patterns but with wider viewports allowing more contextual information to remain visible simultaneously.

Advertising transparency and regulatory context

The October 13 update occurs within a broader landscape of advertising transparency initiatives. Google's Ads Transparency policy underwent updates announced on May 2, 2025, introducing features displaying additional information about entities paying for advertisements. Those changes implemented in two phases beginning May 2025 through June 2025 required Google to display payment profile names as payer names for verified advertisers.

The company's Ads Transparency Center, launched in 2019, initially focused solely on political advertisements. On April 1, 2024, the center marked its one-year anniversary of global availability. The searchable database allows advertisers, users, journalists, regulators, and researchers to access information about who advertises on Google, their messages, and targeting approaches.

European regulatory frameworks have emphasized clear advertising identification. The European Union's political advertising transparency regulation specifically mandates prominent labeling requirements for sponsored content. Political advertisements must carry clear transparency labels and notices identifying them as political content, providing information about sponsors, election connections, amounts paid, and targeting techniques.

The persistent "Sponsored results" label maintains what Google describes as "industry-leading standards for ad label prominence." The visibility of the label during scrolling addresses potential concerns about users losing context as they move through search results. The company emphasized in the October 13 announcement that the new label makes it "clear which results are sponsored."

Advertiser considerations and campaign management

The October 13 changes do not affect underlying auction mechanisms or advertisement targeting systems. Advertisers continue bidding for advertisement placement through existing auction processes. The modifications impact only the visual presentation of advertisements on results pages, not the selection or ranking algorithms.

Advertisement size remains consistent with previous implementations. The four-advertisement maximum for text ad groupings maintains existing load constraints. Advertisers will not see changes to the number of potential advertisement positions available in top sections of search results.

The hide control introduces a user-initiated variable in advertisement visibility. Campaign metrics may reflect reduced impressions from users who activate the hide function. However, advertisement performance data will continue flowing through standard Google Ads reporting systems, allowing advertisers to monitor engagement patterns.

For advertisers managing campaigns across different Google properties, the labeling update maintains consistency with advertisement disclosure practices on other platforms. The simplified "Sponsored" designation aligns with label formats used across Google's advertising ecosystem, including YouTube, Gmail, and Display Network placements.

Campaign optimization strategies based on position metrics remain relevant. Top advertisement positions continue offering visibility advantages, particularly for users who do not activate the hide control. The grouped header presentation may influence click-through patterns as users evaluate advertisement groups as unified sections rather than individual listings.

The global rollout ensures consistent advertisement presentation across markets. Advertisers operating international campaigns will see uniform labeling across geographic regions. This standardization eliminates regional variations in how advertisements display to users in different countries.

Timeline

• October 13, 2025: Google announces grouped "Sponsored results" label and "Hide sponsored results" control with global rollout beginning
• September 24, 2025: Digital marketing professionals document Google consolidating individual sponsored labels into single header format
• September 17, 2025: Technical glitch floods search results with up to 22 ads per page affecting global markets
• August 29, 2025: Google launches Ads Decoded podcast discussing AI Max for Search campaigns and transparency features
• August 20, 2025: Google enables full placement reporting for Search Partner Network addressing decades of advertiser transparency requests
• July 22, 2025: Google removes prominent "Sponsored" label from "Find Related Products & Services" ad units
• May 21, 2025: Google expands display options for AdSense ad intents format
• May 2, 2025: Google updates Ads Transparency policy to display payer information
• April 21, 2025: Google modifies search ad positioning allowing advertisers in multiple positions simultaneously
• March 27, 2025: Digital ad libraries address industry transparency demands across platforms

Summary

Who: Google, led by VP of Product Management and Data Science Omkar Muralidharan, announced the changes affecting billions of daily search users and advertisers globally.

What: Text advertisements on Google Search now appear grouped under a single "Sponsored results" label that stays visible during scrolling, accompanied by a new "Hide sponsored results" control allowing users to collapse advertisements with one click. The grouped label applies to text ads and other advertising units including Shopping ads. Advertisement sizes remain unchanged with a maximum of four text ads per grouping.

When: Google announced the changes on October 13, 2025, with global rollout beginning immediately on that date across desktop and mobile platforms.

Where: The updates affect Google Search results pages globally, appearing on both desktop computers and mobile devices across all geographic regions where Google Search operates.

Why: Google stated the goal is to help users find information "seamlessly" and make "navigation even easier." Testing indicated the new design "helps people navigate the top of the page more easily." The persistent label maintains what Google describes as "industry-leading standards for ad label prominence" while the hide control provides user choice to focus on organic results.