Google has introduced changes to its search results in Europe as it moves to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), warning that the changes could affect the quality of search results and reduce traffic to some businesses.
The changes were rolled out on Tuesday following a €460 million ($534 million) fine imposed on Google by the European Commission in July for allegedly favouring its own services in search results.
Under the new system, Google will give greater prominence to specialised search services, including price-comparison platforms, in some search results.
For searches involving hotels, airlines and restaurants, for example, the results will feature one specialised search service prominently, followed by two others with less information. A separate section will also display businesses, although some features such as real-time prices will no longer appear.
Google said the rankings will continue to be determined by its search algorithm.
Nick Fox, Google’s senior vice-president for knowledge and information, said the company had made significant changes to Search in Europe to meet the DMA requirements.
However, Google argued that the new arrangement could make it harder for users to find relevant information and could shift traffic away from local businesses towards online intermediaries such as Booking.com and Expedia.
The company said previous changes made to comply with the DMA resulted in a 30 per cent decline in free, direct booking traffic to European businesses.
See also: Longsys Raises $903m in Hong Kong Share Sale
Google said tests involving millions of European users showed high levels of dissatisfaction, with some users having to modify or repeat searches to find the information they wanted.
The latest changes will apply to users in the European Union, while Google said users outside the bloc would not be affected.
The European Commission had given Google 60 days to comply with its order following the July fine, warning that failure to comply could result in periodic penalties of up to 5 per cent of the company’s total worldwide turnover.
The EU has imposed about €10.38 billion in antitrust penalties on Google over nearly two decades.
The dispute has also attracted criticism from US President Donald Trump, who has accused the EU of unfairly targeting American technology companies.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
