TL;DR
- UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) may label Google with “strategic market status” under new digital rules.
- The designation would force Google to offer alternative search options, fairer ranking, and publisher content control.
- UK advertisers spent £33,000+ per business on Google Search Ads in 2024.
- CMA consultation open until October 13; potential ruling could reshape UK digital search market.
- Measures include choice screens, AI content controls, and data transfer rights.
CMA Eyes Market Intervention Against Google’s Search Dominance
The UK government’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced a formal consultation that could force Google to give users choice over their search engine and rank results more equitably.
The consultation follows the launch of the UK’s new Digital Markets Competition Regime, a legislative framework that enables stricter oversight of tech giants deemed to hold entrenched market power.
If Google is granted “strategic market status” (SMS) under this regime, it would face new obligations designed to increase transparency, competition, and user empowerment.
What the CMA Proposes for Google
The CMA’s proposed designation would mandate several far-reaching changes, including:
- Choice Screens that let users select and switch between search engines or AI-powered search assistants.
- Enforcing fairer ranking algorithms to prevent Google biasing its own services.
- Giving publishers greater control over how their content is used in AI Overviews and Gemini.
- Enabling users to easily export their data, including search history, to other services.
These measures would align with CMA’s goal to promote healthy competition and protect UK consumers from monopolistic practices.
Search Ad Spend and Market Share Under Scrutiny
CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell noted that the average advertiser in the UK spent over £33,000 last year on Google Search ads, with Google commanding more than 90% of the general search market.
“If competition was working well, we would expect these costs to be lower,” Cardell wrote in a CMA blog post.
The CMA argues that smaller players and publishers currently face disproportionate disadvantages in traffic, ranking, and content licensing, which the designation aims to address.
Timeline and Industry Reactions
The consultation is currently open, and the CMA is inviting responses from industry stakeholders, publishers, and tech competitors. A final decision is expected by October 13, 2025.
Should Google receive the SMS label, it would be among the first companies regulated under the UK’s new digital competition framework.
Google has not yet commented on the proposal or whether it intends to challenge the designation process.
UK Search Market Under the Microscope
| Metric | Figure / Detail | Source |
| Google UK Search Market Share | Over 90% | CMA |
| Avg. UK Advertiser Spend on Google Ads | £33,000+ per year | CMA |
| Consultation Deadline | October 13, 2025 | UK Gov |
| Targeted Entity | Google Search | |
| Digital Regime Framework | Digital Markets Competition Regime | UK Gov |
