IMO this is the biggest shift since the introduction of mobile:
Google’s Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), announced on Sunday, points to a gradual shift toward AI-assisted discovery and transaction flows, potentially reducing reliance on traditional click-through journeys.
For merchants and booking or ordering services, this suggests SEO may evolve from a primary traffic driver into a supporting layer focused on structured data, clarity, and trust signals that AI systems can interpret.
Direct websites and rankings still matter, but increasingly as inputs to AI-led decision making rather than the final destination. The longer-term impact will likely depend on how widely UCP is adopted beyond early use cases.
The real question may be whether merchants are being enabled to sell more directly, or simply being re-intermediated at a deeper, less visible layer.
[
developers.googleblog.com...]
