{"id":1208,"slug":"google-2016-layout-shift-4-ads-above-organic-feb-22","title":"Google February 22, 2016 layout shift — right-rail text ads removed on desktop; up to four ads stacked above organic on commercial queries","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","smb-owner","candid-team"],"topics":["search-engine-history","serp-features"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** On **February 22, 2016** Google removed right-hand-side text ads on desktop and allowed **up to four ads above** the organic results on \"highly commercial\" queries — pushing the first organic listing further down or below the fold on the most lucrative searches.\n\n**Source:** Search Engine Land coverage, February 2016; subsequent industry confirmations.\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** The clearest moment paid placement crowded the top of *commercial* SERPs. Pair with [[adwords-launched-oct-23-2000-350-advertisers]] as the two-beat story of how paid search came to dominate the high-intent query top-of-page.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"adwords-launched-oct-23-2000-350-advertisers","title":"Google AdWords launched October 23, 2000 with 350 advertisers; shifted from CPM to CPC auction in February 2002","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-businesses-found-on-web-google-smb-june-2026","title":"Research brief: How businesses got found on the web — a then→now timeline (Google-focused, SMB lens, June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"recurring-pattern-google-shifts-early-adopters-win-laggards-lose","title":"The recurring pattern: every major Google shift changed what got surfaced; early adapters captured the new surface, laggards lost the old one — and the pattern is repeating now with AI answers","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"},{"slug":"rule-keep-dates-separate-from-causation-when-citing-google-history","title":"Rule: When telling the Google history story publicly, keep dates and product launches separate from causation/motive claims — the documented record is the former, not the latter","kind":"rule","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-18T00:10:55.793Z","updated_at":"2026-06-18T00:10:55.793Z"}