To the average person, Google’s search engine results page (SERP) looks no different today than it did a month ago. But for SEO experts, the SERP change is like noticing Google lost weight: all of a sudden, the results page really trimmed down. Google recently (in its usual quiet way) removed the right-rail ads running alongside the main part of the page that features both paid and organic listings.
Your part of the conversation should’ve gone something like this:
Battle of the Ad Bulge: How Google Is Slimming Down Search Results