The UK Competition and Markets Authority has set out plans to give publishers more control over the way their work appears in Google search.
The move could allow publishers to opt out of Google AI Overviews without removing entire websites from search.
Publishers have widely complained that where an article is summarised with a Google AI Overview, clickthrough rates from Google decline sharply.
Last month Mail Online SEO director Carly Steven said that when AI Overviews replaced conventional search results the publisher was seeing a sharp reduction in clickthroughs from Google. She also complained that Google is refusing to allow publishers to track whether a click has come from an AI Overview or a conventional search result.
The CMA said on 24 June that it plans to designate Google as a tech platform with strategic market status under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 in October 2025.
This then gives it the power to ensure Google trade on “fair and reasonable terms” with news publishers.
According to Press Gazette analysis, Google dominates the UK advertising market via its search engine, Youtube and its adtech products which together accounted for around £20bn of the estimated £42.6bn spent on advertising in the UK in 2024.
The CMA noted that Google accounts for 90% of internet search queries in the UK and said 200,000 UK businesses rely on Google search advertising to reach their customers.
Concerns have been raised to the CMA that:
- search advertising is not competitively priced, there is secrecy and unfairness around how Google search results are created
- publishers have no control over how their content is used in Google search results and AI generated responses
- Google deals with Samsung and Apple putting its tech on smartphones lock competitors out of the market.
The CMA has said the following “early priority measures” could be taken after Google has been designated:
- Requiring choice screens to help people easily select and switch between search services (potentially including AI assistants)
- Ensuring fair and non-discriminatory ranking of search results
- More control and transparency for publishers over how their content collected for search is used, including in AI-generated responses and search results more generally
- Supporting data portability to help new businesses bring innovative products to market.
The CMA said: “Google’s bargaining position can impact fair and reasonable terms for publishers, including fair payment terms for the use of their content.
Insufficient controls about how their content is used in Google Search (including AI Overviews) also limits news publishers’ ability to monetise their content.”
The CMA is then proposing to take further action in the first half of 2026 which could include addressing concerns about the impact of Google’s bargaining position on publishers, its treatment of rival specialised search firms and concerns about transparency and control in relation to search advertising.
The Strategic Market Status designation for Google applies to AI Overviews, but not Google’s Gemini AI assistant.
Chief executive of the CMA Sarah Cardell said: “Google is the world’s leading search tool and plays an important role in all our lives, with the average person in the UK making five to 10 searches a day. It is equally critical for over 200,000 UK businesses which rely on Google to reach their customers. Google search has delivered tremendous benefits – but our investigation so far suggests there are ways to make these markets more open, competitive and innovative.
“Today marks an important milestone in our implementation of the new Digital Markets Competition Regime in the UK. Alongside our proposed designation of Google’s search activities, we have set out a roadmap of possible future action to improve outcomes for people and businesses in the UK.
“These targeted and proportionate actions would give UK businesses and consumers more choice and control over how they interact with Google’s search services – as well as unlocking greater opportunities for innovation across the UK tech sector and broader economy.”
News Media Association chief executive Owen Meredith said: “We are pleased that the Competition and Markets Authority is proposing to designate Google search as having strategic market status and, in particular, the regulator’s clear acknowledgement of the difficulties publishers are facing in controlling how their content is used in AI overviews.
“Decisive and robust action from the CMA to tackle the abusive dominance of the tech platforms cannot come soon enough. Therefore, the Conduct Requirement for ‘fair and reasonable terms’ – a very important part of the package – should not be delayed.
“We look forward to working with the regulator and other parties to deliver the full benefits of the new regime for digital markets under the DMCC Act, unlocking the full potential of the UK’s digital economy.”
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