CMA takes first steps to improve competition in search services in the UK

The CMA will consult on the proposal ahead of a final decision in October. If designated, the CMA would be able to introduce targeted measures to address specific aspects of how Google operates search services in the UK.

The CMA has also published a roadmap of potential actions it could prioritise were Google to be designated. Early priorities include requiring choice screens for users to access different search providers; ensuring fair ranking principles for businesses appearing on Google search; more transparency and control for publishers whose content appears in search results; and portability of consumer search data to support innovation in new products and services.

Search in the UK    

Google search accounts for more than 90% of all general search queries in the UK – with millions of people relying on it as a key gateway to the internet and more than 200,000 businesses in the UK relying on Google search advertising to reach their customers. These services matter to our economy and society – so it is vital that competition works well.

The CMA’s investigation has heard concerns, including

• Google’s index of billions of websites, its access to trillions of historical searches, and its ecosystem of information, are extremely hard for others to replicate
• Higher costs of search advertising than would be expected in a more competitive market
• Limited transparency and fairness in how Google ranks and presents search results
• Publishers can face challenges in securing fair terms and control over how their content is used in Google’s search and AI-generated responses
• Default agreements with mobile device manufacturers can make it more difficult for competitors to reach customers
• Innovative businesses can struggle to compete as people can’t easily share their search data with firms developing new services

A proportionate, pro-innovation approach

The UK’s new Digital Markets Competition Regime can help unlock opportunities for innovation and growth, by promoting competition in digital markets while protecting UK consumers and businesses from unfair or harmful practices. It is flexible and highly targeted, with the CMA able to design proportionate, bespoke interventions to address specific aspects of the way a firm engages in a digital activity. It includes a participative engagement process involving diverse stakeholders, from the largest firms to challengers and consumer groups. The CMA is also applying its ‘4Ps’ – Proportionality, Pace, Predictability and Process – to avoid any action taken hampering innovation or creating uncertainty for investors.

To support pace and provide greater predictability for Google and other market participants, the CMA has published a Roadmap of how it would prioritise actions taken during the first half of any designation period. Measures are designed to promote competition and innovation in ways that benefit the UK economy, while ensuring that UK consumers and businesses are treated fairly.

Early priority measures outlined in the roadmap include

• 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 plans to consider a second category of actions to address more complex issues over a longer period (starting in the first half of 2026). These include 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 CMA has carefully considered how generative AI is changing the search landscape. While use of AI assistants is growing, it remains significantly smaller than Google search. Google is already incorporating generative AI features – such as AI Overviews – into its search products and developing its own assistant, Gemini. The CMA’s proposed SMS designation would include AI-based search features, though not Gemini AI Assistant itself. This position will be kept under review as usage evolves.

Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, 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 5 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.

The CMA welcomes views on its proposed designation decision and accompanying roadmap. A final decision on SMS designation will be made by the deadline of 13 October.

Alongside its live SMS designation investigations into search and mobile ecosystems, the CMA has been keeping under review the timing and scope of any further SMS designation investigations. The CMA is focused on progressing current SMS investigations and associated actions to improve outcomes in those markets for the remainder of 2025. We will keep under review possible options for a further designation investigation and anticipate this will be considered by the CMA Board in early 2026.

More information about the investigation is available on the case page.

Notes to editors

1. All enquiries from journalists should be directed to the CMA press office by email on press@cma.gov.uk or by phone on 020 3738 6460.
2. Sarah Cardell has also written a blog post about the investigation.
3. Search advertising is where an advertiser pays for its advert to appear next to the results from a user’s search. The investigation relates to Google’s general search and search advertising activities.
4. A finding that Google has SMS does not imply that it has acted anti-competitively. If the CMA designates Google as having SMS, it would then be able (subject to a legal framework that includes further public consultation and showing that measures are proportionate) to introduce interventions (including as set out in the roadmap) to unlock competition, increase innovation, and protect consumers.
5. In line with the CMA’s prioritisation principles and the strategic steer from government, the CMA’s roadmap considers targeted measures where it can make a difference in the UK, and which fit with steps taken, or proposed, in other jurisdictions such as the EU and US.
6. The CMA is also considering additional measures to ensure general search and search advertising is open to competition, including from AI services, by addressing barriers to entry and expansion. However, these complex issues are being scrutinised around the world and the CMA recognises that any action taken must fit with decisions being taken elsewhere.
7. The CMA will be consulting with affected businesses and consumer groups widely over the coming months. The CMA expects to consult on a first set of priority interventions shortly after any designation decision and will publish an updated roadmap addressing our approach to the more complex issues we have identified in early 2026.