Earlier this year, Google decided to remove ads from the right side panel of desktop search results page. This left advertisers panicked as they questioned the change's impact on competition, cost, and impressions. This seemingly radical decision was derived from years of internal studies; the results indicated minimal or no clicks for the right side ad positions. A critical factor in eliminating these ad positions is mobile's exponential growth, since removing these ads provides a better mobile experience for searchers.

A recent Search Engine Watch article from Jason Tabeling, reveals how this change is already taking effect on the market. Tabeling ran a keyword level report including the Top vs. Other segment and analyzed the last three weeks prior and post Google's change.