Up until early 2016, the maximum was 3 ads at the top, with many more filling the right-hand sidebar.
That changed in February 2016:
-Google removed sidebar ads on desktop.
– A 4th top ad slot was introduced for highly commercial queries (insurance, travel, finance, shopping).
Since then, the layout depends on the search:
– Competitive, commercial queries can trigger 4 ads.
– Some searches still only show 1 or none at all.
On mobile, 4 ads often take up the full first screen before any SEO result appears.
This shift had big consequences:
– Organic visibility declined as results were pushed further down.
– Advertisers faced more competition for top-of-page exposure.
– The balance between SEO and PPC strategy changed permanently.
Today, the maximum is still 4 ads at the top, but it’s not guaranteed it depends on the query and the auction.
Will we see 5 ads one day😂
