Google has begun making significant changes to search results in the European Union, warning that European users will receive a worse experience than people elsewhere.
Major international outlets including Reuters, The Guardian, The Verge and Ars Technica have reported the changes. One distinction matters: Google is not arbitrarily downgrading its search engine, but altering how results are presented to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
The company describes the changes as the biggest step backwards in service quality in Google Search’s 29-year history. That is Google’s position, however, rather than an independent finding by European authorities.
What is changing in searches?
The changes mainly affect searches for hotels, flights, restaurants and other travel or commercial services.
Specialist comparison and booking services, such as Booking.com and Expedia, will receive greater prominence near the top of results. Hotels, airlines, restaurants and other businesses may instead appear further down or with less information.
Some specialist search panels will also lose useful information, including live prices, availability and direct contact or booking options. Users may therefore need additional steps and searches to find what they want.
Why did the EU intervene?
The European Commission concluded that Google was using its dominant position to favour its own services, including Google Shopping, Google Hotels and Google Flights, over competitors.
The search-related infringement resulted in a €460 million fine. A separate €430 million penalty concerned restrictions in Google Play, bringing the combined amount to €890 million.
The company was given 60 days to comply or risk additional financial penalties of up to 5% of its worldwide daily turnover.
Google’s criticism of the EU
Google argues that the rules do not meaningfully improve competition, but benefit large online intermediaries at the expense of businesses offering services directly.
According to figures presented by the company, earlier compliance changes reduced free direct traffic to European booking businesses by 30%. Google also says tests involving millions of users showed substantial dissatisfaction.
Those figures come from Google and are not an independent assessment.
Who is right?
The picture involves competing arguments. Google is deliberately changing search results in Europe and some useful functions are being restricted. However, it has not been established that its purpose is to punish European users.
Google says the changes are an unavoidable consequence of EU legislation. The EU, meanwhile, considers them necessary to stop the company using its search engine to promote its own products ahead of competitors.
What is clear is that European users will see different results from users outside the EU and, in many cases, may need more clicks to reach the information or business they are looking for.
