Google has announced further changes to the way it displays search results in the European Union in response to ongoing complaints about its non-compliance with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA).
This includes what it calls a “short-term test” of simple “Blue Link” style search results for hotel queries in three EU markets (Belgium, Estonia and Germany). The company suggests this is similar to how its search engine originally worked. Displayed results.
Under the EU's flagship market competitiveness reform, violations are subject to heavy penalties of up to 10% of annual global sales (or higher for repeated violations). Google's parent company Alphabet has been under investigation since March over new rich features it launched in response to DMA, which competitors say undermine the regulatory ban on self-preference. claims.
Travel comparison sites are among those that have complained that Google is trying to avoid its obligations.
Google fired back, arguing that the search changes disadvantaged other players in the travel ecosystem. A new blog post Tuesday by Oliver Bethel, Google's director of legal affairs, reveals that “direct booking clicks” to airlines, hoteliers and small retailers have fallen by about a third (30%). Suggests.
The tech giant appears to be trying a “divide and conquer” strategy against the DMA. The DMA is using the compliance changes to pit its main rival – a “large online travel aggregator” – against other travel retailers with their own search engines. You can increase or decrease power based on the amount of traffic you send.
Ironically, the DMA is an attempt to prevent gatekeepers from unduly bending market forces, so it will be interesting to see what the European Commission makes of this tactic.
Google's latest proposed changes to how search results are displayed will not only impact the travel industry, but also product searches and restaurants, according to the company's blog post.
“We believe the latest proposal is the right way to balance the difficult trade-offs associated with DMA,” the magazine wrote, adding, “We are nonetheless hopeful.”[s] Our goal is to reach solutions that comply with the law and continue to provide European users and businesses with access to useful technology. ”
rival display unit
The changes announced by Google's blog post include “expanded and evenly formatted” units in search results when users search for products, restaurants, flights, and hotels, and Google's rival sites ( This includes being able to choose between the results that are directed to (comparison sites). , metasearch engines, review sites, etc.) or results that take you directly to a supplier or retailer's website.
A lot depends on how Google presents this option, but the blog post doesn't provide a visual example. In addition, the blog post says it will introduce “other new formats that will allow comparison sites and suppliers to display more information about what's on their website, including prices and photos.” Again, no visual example provided.
Finally, Google announced that it is launching a new ad unit for comparison sites. But again, we'll have to wait to see how these turn out.
Travel aggregators' main complaint about Google's initial DMA response was that the company unfairly competed with Google by placing its own comparison service directly at the top of search results in an eye-catching boxout. We're trying to compete unfairly with Google by baking site-style features to the top of search results, and using a set of new platform features to help users click through to competing services. Google try to stay in.
Google disputes this, arguing that it is forcing a reduction in the quality of the search experience it can offer Europeans by making it less useful. Bethell continues this line of attack in a blog post, suggesting that DMA is hindering Google's ability to “innovate and compete.”
But complaints continue. Travel aggregators are also frustrated by the richness Google displays when it comes to hotel search queries. This feature provides a map view of hotels in your desired location, along with pricing information and links to featured hotel websites.
This visually rich feature seems intended to drive search traffic directly to the supplier (in this case, the hotel), but it can leave comparison sites alone.
Google search screengrab (Image credit: Natasha LOmas/TechCrunch)
“While many stakeholders are happy with our changes, some sites want to go even further, including completely banning anything more sophisticated than a simple blue link to their website. That way, Google won't be able to show people useful information like prices and ratings,” Bethell continued, further inciting the aforementioned “Blue Links” test announcement.
Blue Link's “reluctant” return
This is not considered the DMA change that Google wants. On the contrary, it is called a “short test” so that you can “understand how such changes impact both user experience and traffic to your website.”
“This test will remove some of the functionality that has been the focus of the discussion, such as the map showing hotel locations and the hotel search results underneath. Instead, it will replace the old “10 Similar to the 'Blue Links' format, it displays a list of individual links to websites without any additional features. ” he adds.
Google claims to be “extremely reluctant” to conduct tests and says it will be forced down this path as competitors demand that the product experience revert to the early internet era, and EU users implying that they believe they are being forced to lower their search quality. . (That said, web users tired of Google endlessly and selfishly reshaping search results might welcome the return of some simple blue links, TBH).
It's not clear how long the test will be in place, but Google says hotel search results will return to “normal” (whatever that means in this chameleon context) once the data collection effort ends. states.
Ultimately, however, it is up to the European Commission's DMA Enforcement Officer to decide what fair compliance looks like.
We have contacted the European Commission for a response to Google's announcement. “All we can say is that we are currently evaluating Google's compliance proposal,” EU spokesperson Lea Zuber responded.
Google is not only under pressure regarding this element of DMA compliance. Last week, privacy-focused search rival DuckDuckGo asked the commission to expand its investigation into the tech giant, accusing it of failing to provide comprehensive “click and query” data to rivals. It also doubles down on complaints that the choice screens that the DMA requires Google to display are currently broken because they don't allow users to switch easily enough from Google's products.