Search Marketing Takeaways for Leaders: March 2026
From answers to action: visibility, trust & platform native discovery
March has been a useful month for better understanding the future shape of search.
The landscape is still changing quickly, but the direction is becoming clearer. Customers are discovering and validating across more places. Interfaces are becoming more answer-led, video keeps shaping shortlists, paid experiences are evolving and becoming more assistive and trust signals are doing more of the heavy lifting.
For leadership teams, the opportunity is positive. Brands that show up clearly and credibly across the wider ecosystem are being rewarded.
Below are the takeaways we think matter most this month, and what to consider next.
1) AI Overviews and AI Mode are making links more visible
Google continues to evolve how AI Overviews and AI Mode present sources, with more prominent link treatments appearing in the experience.
Why it matters
Answer-led search can reduce clicks, but it also changes how clicks happen. Being cited clearly and earning the click becomes a competitive advantage. The brands that win tend to be the ones that make information easy to reference and easy to trust.
What to consider
Review your priority pages for structure and clarity. Strong headings, clear summaries, and obvious proof help.
Strengthen comparison and decision-support content, not just top of funnel discovery content.
Make sure the next step is obvious when a user does click through. Conversion quality matters more when attention is harder to win.
2) John Lewis is a clear signal of platform native discovery
John Lewis has announced plans to make products visible in AI platforms such as Gemini and ChatGPT, alongside a TikTok Shop pilot.
Why it matters
This is a mainstream signal that discovery, shortlist formation and even checkout are moving into platforms. For many categories, customers are forming opinions before a website visit, and validation happens across a wider footprint.
What to consider
Check how you show up where people validate. Reviews, listings, creator content, third-party mentions and social presence matter.
Ensure your proposition is consistent across platforms, not just on your website.
Treat video and social content as decision support. Useful content that reduces uncertainty often outperforms volume.
3) Paid & commerce are becoming more assistive & more integrated
Google’s Ads and Commerce updates continue to point towards more assistive shopping experiences and ad formats designed to sit within discovery and comparison flows.
Why it matters
The paid search playbook continues to move away from keywords being the primary lever. Relevance, creative inputs, data quality, landing page alignment and measurement integrity become bigger levers than micro-optimising the account.
What to consider
Tighten the system around paid. Landing page relevance, proof signals and proposition clarity often drive bigger gains than extra spend.
If performance is under pressure, test whether spend is truly incremental or compensating for conversion issues.
Ensure measurement supports decisions. Reporting should tell leaders what to do next, not just what happened.
4) Ads in assistants are moving from theoretical to likely
Google has indicated it is not ruling out ads in Gemini, with lessons being learned from ad experiments in AI-led search experiences.
Why it matters
If assistants become monetised, sponsored answers and recommendation environments will increase. That raises the bar on credibility, proof, and consistency across channels. It also increases the importance of being present in the places AI systems draw from when forming answers.
What to consider
Build an evidence pack that travels. Reviews, outcomes, case studies, third-party validation and consistent claims across platforms.
Assume higher standards for relevance and trust. The brands that perform best will be the ones that reduce uncertainty quickly.
5) Microsoft Advertising is adding more control to Performance Max
Microsoft Advertising has introduced self-serve negative keywords for Performance Max, alongside other March updates.
Why it matters
For many UK advertisers, Microsoft remains an efficient complement to Google. Better control and transparency makes automation easier to govern, and it can reduce wasted spend.
What to consider
If you run Microsoft PMax, revisit query hygiene and exclusions now that controls are improving.
If you do not actively use Microsoft, consider a controlled test with clear success measures and disciplined reporting.
6) Review volatility is a practical risk for performance
This month has seen renewed reports of Google Business Profile reviews disappearing or fluctuating.
Why it matters
Reviews are not a vanity metric. They are a conversion and validation layer. If that layer changes unexpectedly, performance can shift even if your spend and SEO remain stable. This is especially relevant for local, home and property, travel and service-based brands.
What to consider
Strengthen review acquisition processes and make them repeatable.
Diversify proof signals so you are not reliant on a single platform. Third-party platforms, case studies, press mentions and visible reassurance on your own website all help.
Make sure proof is easy to find. Many sites hide credibility too deep.
7) Video keeps shaping decisions, especially on the living room screen
YouTube continues to evolve its ad formats for TV audiences, reinforcing video’s role as both discovery and validation.
Why it matters
For many categories, video is now part of the search ecosystem. It influences the shortlist before demand capture happens. If your strategy treats video as separate from search, you often miss where decisions are being shaped.
What to consider
Treat video as decision support. Explain, compare, demonstrate, reassure.
Align video creative with your proposition and proof points across the rest of your ecosystem.
Consider how you measure influence. Assisted journeys matter.
8) UK governance remains relevant, but the opportunity is to reduce reliance
Reuters reports that Google is developing new controls for websites to opt out of its generative AI features, linked to UK CMA scrutiny.
Why it matters
This is a reminder that AI surfaced content is not just a product change. It is also shaped by policy and regulation. You should expect continued movement in how content is used and surfaced.
What to consider
Understand your exposure. Identify where you rely on organic referral and where AI-led features may affect visibility.
Strengthen ecosystem presence so you are not dependent on a single discovery route.
Keep an eye on changes in controls and eligibility, particularly if your category is content-reliant.
Leadership takeaway for March
Search performance is increasingly shaped by three things:
how clearly you show up in answer-led environments
how strong your proof and validation signals are across the ecosystem
how well your journeys convert when attention is earned
The brands that win are not the ones chasing every platform change. They are the ones building credibility, usefulness and consistency across the places customers discover, compare and decide.
References
Google to allow AI opt out to ease UK competition concerns (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-allow-ai-opt-out-ease-uk-competition-concerns-2026-03-18/
More visible links in AI Overviews and AI Mode (Search Engine Land)
https://searchengineland.com/google-launches-more-visibile-links-in-ai-overviews-and-ai-mode-469441
Links more visible in AI Overviews (Search Engine Journal)
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-says-links-will-be-more-visible-in-ai-overviews/567719/
John Lewis Partnership announcement
https://www.johnlewispartnership.co.uk/media-centre/latest-news/2026/23871
What to expect in digital advertising and commerce in 2026 (Google Ads and Commerce)
https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/digital-advertising-commerce-2026/
Ads in Gemini not ruled out (WIRED)
https://www.wired.com/story/google-nick-fox-advertising-search-ai-gemini
Microsoft Advertising March update, negative keywords for Performance Max
https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en/blog/post/march-2026/negative-keywords-for-pmax-and-other-product-news-for-march-2026
Google Business Profile community thread on reviews disappearing
https://support.google.com/business/thread/418028329/200-reviews-disappeared-no-response-for-3-weeks
VRC Non Skip ads generally available (Google Ads and Commerce)
https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/vrc-non-skip-ads-generally-available/
