The new search reality on your mobile
Google has been testing a feature called 'Find results on' for several years following massive EU antitrust fines. However under the new 2026 UK Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act this feature is no longer just an experiment. The UK Competition and Markets Authority is actively forcing Google to prominently feature these third-party directory links at the very top of local searches.
Boxes pointing to sites like Yell and Friday-Ad are now a permanent fixture. Regulators are heavily enforcing strict new rules to stop Google from keeping all search traffic inside its own ecosystem.
The end of the Google Maps monopoly
For the past decade local trades and service businesses in London could easily survive by relying entirely on a Google Business Profile. Getting a pin on Google Maps was enough to secure a steady stream of local leads. Because of these newly enforced regulations those days are officially over.
Google is legally obligated to stop hiding competing third-party websites. If your business only exists as a Google Maps profile you are going to lose traffic as Google routes potential customers to external directories.
The necessity of an independent website
Building a dedicated website is the only way to insulate your business from these aggressive regulatory shifts. Your website is your foundational digital real estate. It cannot be demoted by a sudden legal ruling.
Furthermore Google recently rolled out AI Overviews across the UK. These artificial intelligence systems do not scrape simple map pins. They require deep text and structured data to formulate an answer. A well-structured website is now the bare minimum requirement to remain visible online.