Google has published a help document that explains why the same query can produce different result layouts depending on where a searcher is located. The page catalogs aggregator units, supplier units, and carousels, and ties each format to specific countries and query categories.
For anyone who audits SERPs across markets, this settles a recurring question: whether an unfamiliar layout is a live test or a standing rule tied to jurisdiction. Aggregator units and supplier units are the two format types the document names directly, alongside carousels, and it specifies where each is eligible to show.
Google framed the release as a resource for the businesses affected by these formats. The company said the document exists to “help publishers, businesses, and aggregators learn about the different regional search features available and understand the eligibility criteria and how to participate,” according to its Search Central changelog.
The timing connects the document to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act. Google said the underlying features were “launched along the DMA changes to the search results page,” and described the broader effort as evolving results for certain query types to create “new opportunities for Vertical Search Services (VSS), Comparison Shopping Services (CSS), direct suppliers, and content providers.”
That framing matters because it draws a line between a ranking test and a regulatory obligation. A layout change a site owner sees in EU results is more likely a DMA-driven structural rule than an experiment Google will roll back. The new page lets a site owner check region and query filters directly rather than guessing from screenshots shared on social platforms.
Search Engine Roundtable reported on the release, noting that the document breaks the eligible features down by feature type, region, and query, with filters built into the page itself. The outlet’s report included a screenshot of the interface and pointed to a discussion thread on X started by Search Engine Roundtable founder Barry Schwartz.
The document itself does not include historical data on how often these formats have appeared or changed since the DMA rules took effect. It describes current eligibility criteria without disclosing how frequently Google revises them, which leaves open how stable this regional map will be over time.
Sites operating as vertical search services, comparison shopping services, or direct suppliers in EU markets should treat this document as a reference point rather than a one-time read. Because eligibility criteria are documented per region and query type, a site that qualifies for an aggregator or supplier unit today has a concrete, checkable standard to monitor if that placement disappears later.
Any team running multi-market SEO audits should now cross-reference unexpected SERP layout differences against this new eligibility page before assuming a bug, a personalization effect, or an unannounced test. For EU-facing sites specifically, confirming eligibility status against Google’s own criteria is a more reliable diagnostic step than comparing screenshots across regions.
Search Engine Roundtable reported on Google’s new regional search experience documentation on September 8, 2026.
