Google's video carousel has appeared significantly less often in search results since August 12, according to tracking data from Semrush and independent SERP monitoring. The drop affects both general queries and brand-name searches, with the steepest declines observed for the latter.
What changed
Semrush sensor data tracked the video carousel showing in just over 30% of queries before mid-August. After August 12, that figure fell to under 20%. A separate dataset compiled by Jonas Sickler, who tracks 1,200 Fortune 1000 and Forbes-listed brand name searches daily, recorded a sharper decline: feature presence dropped from over 30% of tracked brands to approximately 5%.
Sickler wrote on LinkedIn: "On August 12th there were two big changes to the SERP landscape for brand name searches. 85% DECREASE in the number of brands showing video carousels. (Feature presence dropped from over 30% of tracked brands to around 5% of brands.)."
Details and availability
The decline began around August 12 and has persisted through at least August 19. Both Semrush's broad query sample and Sickler's brand-focused tracking confirm the same direction and approximate timing, though the magnitude differs between datasets.
The video carousel is a horizontal row of video results that Google displays within organic search results for queries with strong video content. Two years ago, Google dropped support for dedicated video carousel markup, though it continued to surface video carousels algorithmically.
Context
Google has not published an announcement or documentation change explaining the reduced display frequency. The company periodically adjusts how often specific SERP features appear without formal notice. Video carousels remain available in search results but are triggered less frequently than in prior weeks.
The timing coincides with other observed SERP changes around August 12, though no official connection has been stated.
What has not been confirmed
Google has not explained the reason for the reduced carousel frequency or whether the change is temporary or permanent. No statement addresses whether the adjustment relates to ranking, indexing, or feature-priority changes. The effect on video content traffic has not been quantified in available public data.
