Your clicks fell 25% this month. A core update was rolling out at the same time, so the update must be to blame. Or must it? Open Search Console and you might find that your average positions barely moved. What changed was the page around your listing.
Google regularly changes how its results page looks: new AI features, removed rich results, different pagination, features that are added or retired. These layout changes can move clicks dramatically without any change in how your pages are ranked. Mistaking them for an algorithm update leads to the wrong fixes.
This article explains the main types of SERP layout change, gives dated examples from 2020 to 2026, and shows you how to tell a layout effect from a ranking effect in your own data.
Key Takeaways
- Clicks depend on both ranking position and what appears around your result; layout changes can cut clicks while positions stay the same.
- Recent examples include AI Overviews (US launch May 2024), AI Mode (US rollout May 2025), the end of continuous scroll (June 2024) and FAQ rich results disappearing (May 2026).
- When Google retired several structured data features in June 2025, it said the change "won't affect how pages are ranked", as reported by Search Engine Journal.
- A 2025 Pew Research Center study found users clicked a traditional result in 8% of visits with an AI summary, versus 15% without.
- Stable positions with falling CTR usually point to a SERP layout change, not an update.
Rankings and clicks are not the same thing
An algorithm update changes which pages rank and in what order. A SERP layout change changes the environment those rankings sit in. Position 2 under a large AI Overview, a video carousel and a "People also ask" box is a very different place from position 2 on a plain list of ten links.
That is why we always recommend separating ranking impact from traffic impact after an update. If you only watch clicks, you cannot tell which kind of change hit you.
Examples of SERP changes that moved clicks
| Date | Change | What happened | Ranking change? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jan 2020 | Featured snippet deduplication | A page in a featured snippet stopped also appearing as a regular page-one listing | Display change to how listings are shown |
| Aug 2023 | HowTo and FAQ rich results changes | Google announced changes; HowTo rich results were later removed | No; rich result display |
| 14 May 2024 | AI Overviews launch (US) | AI summaries began appearing above results for everyone in the US | Not a ranking update; a new feature |
| 25 Jun 2024 | Continuous scroll ends on desktop | Pagination returned; mobile followed in later months | No; affects visibility of lower results |
| 20 May 2025 | AI Mode rollout (US) | A separate AI-generated search experience opened to all US users | Not a ranking update |
| Jun 2025 | Seven structured data features retired | Including Claim Review, Course Info and Vehicle Listing displays | Google said no ranking impact |
| 7 May 2026 | FAQ rich results stop appearing | Reported FAQ impressions dropped in Search Console | No; rich result display |
For more on how AI features arrived step by step, see our AI search rollout timeline, and for the 2020 snippet change, our post on featured snippet deduplication.
AI Overviews and AI Mode
AI Overviews began rolling out to everyone in the US on 14 May 2024 and expanded to more than 200 countries and 40+ languages by May 2025, according to Google and Wikipedia's AI Overviews article. AI Mode followed with a US rollout on 20 May 2025.
These features change click behaviour. The Pew Research Center tracked the browsing of 900 US adults during March 2025. It found 18% of their Google searches produced an AI summary. Users clicked a traditional search result in 8% of visits to pages with an AI summary, compared with 15% of visits to pages without one, and clicked a link inside the summary in just 1% of visits.
For a site that ranks well on queries that now trigger AI Overviews, that can mean lower CTR without any ranking loss. Our article on AI Overviews CTR versus ranking loss goes deeper, and our wider guide to zero-click searches covers the trend.
Removed and simplified features
Google has also been removing features. In June 2025 it said it would phase out several lesser-used structured data displays. Search Engine Journal listed seven: Book Actions, Course Info, Claim Review, Estimated Salary, Learning Video, Special Announcement and Vehicle Listing. Google's statement, as quoted by SEJ, was clear about rankings:
“This update won't affect how pages are ranked.”
— Google, as quoted by Search Engine Journal, Google Retires 7 Structured Data Features
Even so, a site that relied on one of those enhanced displays could lose clicks because its listing became plainer. The same applies to FAQ rich results: Google's Search Console Data anomalies page says that as of 7 May 2026 they "are no longer appearing in Google Search", so FAQ impressions fell in reports. If you see that drop, it is a display change, not a penalty.
Pagination and scrolling
On 25 June 2024 Google began replacing continuous scroll on desktop with classic pagination, with mobile following later, as reported by Android Authority. Google said automatically loading more results did not significantly increase user satisfaction. Sites that ranked on page two or three may have seen impression patterns change because fewer people now reach those positions, even with identical rankings.
How to tell a layout change from an algorithm update
- Check for a confirmed update. Look at the Search Status Dashboard for rollouts overlapping your dates.
- Compare position and CTR per query. In Search Console, filter to your top queries and compare equal periods.
- Look for the pattern. Stable position plus lower CTR suggests a layout change; lower position plus lower clicks suggests a ranking change.
- Inspect the live SERP. Search the affected queries in a private window and note new features above your result.
- Check search appearance. Use the Search appearance filter to see whether a specific rich result disappeared.
- Read Google's announcements. Feature removals are usually announced on the Search Central blog or documented in Search Console help.
Diagnostic matrix
| Position | Impressions | CTR | Most likely cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stable | Stable | Down | New SERP feature above you (e.g. AI Overview) or lost rich result |
| Down | Down | Down | Ranking change, possibly an update |
| Stable | Down | Stable | Lower demand or seasonality |
| Stable | Down sharply on one appearance type | Varies | Rich result removed or reporting change |
| Up | Up | Down | Ranking for new, lower-intent queries |
Demand changes can look like either. Our guide to seasonality versus algorithm updates helps rule them out, and CTR benchmarks give context for what "normal" looks like.
What to do if a layout change hit your clicks
- Improve your snippet. Titles and descriptions that promise something the AI summary cannot give (tools, data, first-hand detail) still earn clicks. See our on-page optimisation service.
- Target eligible features. Review which SERP features your content can realistically appear in today.
- Report honestly. Tell stakeholders the cause is layout, so budgets go to the right fixes.
- Diversify. Email, video and branded demand reduce reliance on any one SERP format.
Common mistakes
- Rewriting content because CTR fell. If positions held, the content may be fine.
- Adding markup for retired features. FAQ and HowTo rich results won't return because you add schema.
- Using site-wide averages. Layout changes hit specific query types, so analyse per query.
- Assuming every drop during a rollout is the update. Overlapping events are common; see tracking errors versus ranking drops.
Related Guides
- Search Intent Shifts During Core Updates
- How Often Does Google Release Updates? Data From 2021-2026
- Do Algorithm Updates Affect AI Overviews and AI Mode Visibility?
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my traffic drop without my rankings dropping?
Yes. New features such as AI Overviews or removed rich results can reduce clicks while your positions stay the same.
Did AI Overviews reduce clicks to websites?
Pew Research Center found users clicked a traditional result in 8% of visits when an AI summary appeared, versus 15% without, based on March 2025 browsing data from 900 US adults.
Will adding FAQ schema bring back my rich results?
No. Search Console help says FAQ rich results stopped appearing in Google Search as of 7 May 2026.
How can I tell a layout change from an update?
Compare position and CTR per query. Stable positions with lower CTR usually indicate a SERP layout change.
Did removing structured data features affect rankings?
Google said the June 2025 removals would not affect how pages are ranked, according to Search Engine Journal.
Conclusion
Not every traffic change is an algorithm update. Before you change content, check whether your positions actually moved or whether the results page around them changed. If you would like help separating the two and adapting to new SERP layouts, talk to our SEO team or request a quote.
References
- Pew Research Center: Google users are less likely to click on links when an AI summary appears
- Search Engine Journal: Google Retires 7 Structured Data Features
- Android Authority: Google Search ends continuous scroll
- Search Console Help: Data anomalies in Search Console
- Wikipedia: AI Overviews
- Google Search Status Dashboard: Ranking history
