Google documents its EEA-only aggregator and supplier units

The September 2026 Search Central changelog has one entry. Dated 8 September, it adds documentation for three region-specific search result formats: aggregator units, supplier units and structured data carousels. None of them are new to Google Search; what changed is that Google now writes down where each one appears and what a page needs to show up in one.

What the three formats are#

Aggregator unit. Google’s own description: “a unit that provides visibility for ecosystem participants (aggregators) on the search results page.” It appears only inside the European Economic Area, on hotel, flight, ground transportation and product queries.

Supplier unit. The counterpart aimed at direct suppliers rather than aggregators, using the same wording pattern: “a unit that provides visibility for ecosystem participants (direct suppliers) on the search results page.” Same region, same four query types.

Structured data carousel. Google calls it “a list-like rich result that people can scroll horizontally to see entities from a given site,” also known as a host carousel. This one has the widest reach: the EEA (hotels, local businesses, things to do, products, ground transportation, flights, vacation rentals), South Africa (hotels, things to do, flights, products, food delivery, car hire, vacation rentals, ground transportation) and Turkiye (hotels, local businesses, vacation rentals).

What the documentation does not say#

Google states that a carousel requires structured data markup, without naming which schema types satisfy the requirement on this particular page; it links out to the general carousel documentation instead of listing types inline. Aggregator and supplier units carry no published eligibility criteria at all beyond the EEA-only scope. For a publisher or aggregator trying to qualify, the practical next step is the linked carousel reference and existing Merchant Center or travel structured data guides, not this changelog entry by itself.

Why we care#

This is a documentation update, not an algorithm change, and Google’s own changelog treats it that way: no ranking signal, no new markup requirement, no rollout date attached. The reason it matters regardless is regulatory geography. Aggregator and supplier units exist because the EEA’s Digital Markets Act pushes Google toward giving third-party aggregators comparable visibility to Google’s own verticals, and a site operating in Europe, South Africa or Turkiye now has a citable Google source describing exactly which query types and regions those formats touch, something that previously lived only in scattered support threads and observation.