UK search users are in for a shake-up. On 10 October 2025, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) officially declared Google to have “Strategic Market Status” (SMS) in respect to general search and search advertising. This designation doesn’t accuse Google of misconduct but empowers the CMA to demand significant changes in how the tech giant operates in the UK. Cybernews+3Financial Times+3GOV.UK+3
Why This Matters
Google currently handles over 90% of all general search queries in the UK. GOV.UK+2BBC+2 That level of dominance gives it a huge advantage in visibility, ad revenue, and influence over what users see — whether that’s travel services, shopping results, news items or “AI Overviews” summarizing third-party content. The regulator’s concern is that this dominance is too entrenched, with limited room for competitors to innovate or gain traction. GOV.UK+2The Guardian+2
With SMS, Google falls under new digital law introduced in early 2025 (the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act), which gives the CMA tools to impose “conduct requirements” and force changes for companies with outsized power in digital markets. GOV.UK+2GOV.UK+2
What Changes Could Be Coming
The CMA isn’t just making symbolic declarations — it has sketched out a number of possible interventions aimed at giving users, content creators and rival services a fairer shot. Some of the potential changes already on the table:
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Fair Ranking: Google may be required to adjust how it ranks search results to ensure fairness, particularly when it comes to specialised services (shopping, travel, etc.) where Google may favour its own offerings. Ars Technica+2BBC+2
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Choice Screens: Users could be shown screens offering alternative search engines when they start a search — giving competition a chance rather than effectively defaulting to Google. Ars Technica+2The Guardian+2
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Publisher Control and Content Use: Publishers would have more power to control how their content is used, or whether it gets summarised in AI-generated responses. At issue is Google’s “AI Overviews” and “AI Mode,” features that can pull content from third-party sources. GOV.UK+2GOV.UK+2
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Transparency & Data Portability: Making it easier for competitors and developers to access data or compete on a level playing field, where appropriate, might become required. GOV.UK+1
Google’s Response & Pushback
Unsurprisingly, Google has raised strong objections. It argues that many of the proposed rules could become burdensome, hinder innovation, slow down product launches, and possibly increase costs for consumers and businesses. Some of the company’s concerns include:
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The difficulty in defining what “fair ranking” means in practice without introducing unintended bias or strategic loopholes. Ars Technica+2Cybernews+2
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Warnings that “onerous regulations” could reduce the UK’s attractiveness as a place for tech investment or delay the rollout of new services. Sky News+1
Google has also pointed to other jurisdictions — notably the European Union — where regulation of big tech has already had consequences, in some cases creating delays or increasing compliance costs. Sky News+1
Implications for Users, Publishers, and the Tech Ecosystem
For ordinary search users, the changes might be subtle at first — e.g., seeing more choices when choosing a search engine, or finding that certain rankings shift. Over time, however, the layout and experience of search could change more noticeably, particularly in how services like shopping, local business, or travel appear in results.
Publishers and news outlets have welcomed the move. For years, many have argued that Google’s summarization features or “snippets” eat into their traffic and revenues without adequate compensation or credit. SMS could force Google to negotiate fairer terms or modify how these features work. Financial Times+2GOV.UK+2
For rival search engines, especially smaller or newer ones, this is a long-awaited chance. Barriers to entry — whether in search algorithms, advertising access, or data access — may be lowered. If successful, it could encourage more competition, smart innovation, and diversity in how people search the web. GOV.UK+1
What’s Next / Timeline
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The CMA confirmed in its October 2025 announcement that Google had met the legal thresholds for SMS. GOV.UK+1
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Google’s “Gemini” AI Assistant is not yet included in the designation, though related AI features (AI Overviews, AI Mode) are. This exclusion may be revisited as usage evolves. GOV.UK+1
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The CMA expects to consult on possible interventions for the rest of the year. Any formal rules or obligations will follow consultation and are expected in stages. GOV.UK+2The Guardian+2
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Broader regulatory action may follow concerning mobile ecosystems, such as from Google and Apple, which are being reviewed for SMS status too. The Guardian+2GOV.UK+2
Balancing Act: Regulation vs Innovation
A key question in the debate will be how to balance innovation, consumer benefit, and competition with avoiding regulation that is overly burdensome or counterproductive. The UK government and CMA have emphasised that any intervening rules must be “proportionate” and targeted, so as not to stifle growth in a sector where rapid change (especially via AI) is already underway. GOV.UK+1
Critics of regulation warn that too much oversight might push Google to deprioritise or downgrade investments in the UK, delay product launches, or pass costs to users or advertisers. Supporters counter that unchecked dominance can itself stifle innovation: when one company has such scale, small rivals struggle to compete or provide differentiated services.
Conclusion
The CMA’s decision to designate Google with Strategic Market Status is a landmark moment. It sets the stage for some of the most significant regulatory changes to how we search online in the UK. If the regulator follows through on its proposed interventions, users may see more choice, publishers more control, and rival search engines more opportunity.
For Google, the challenge will be navigating these rules while maintaining the quality, speed, and innovation that users expect. For the UK, the test is whether this regulatory move can genuinely shift the balance of power in digital markets — without hampering the growth that has made the country a major tech innovation hub. The next months — the consultations, drafts, stakeholder feedback — will be critical in determining how the future of search in Britain is shaped.
