Google says its own search results are about to get worse for millions because of new rules
Google has abided by new rules set by the European Union (EU), admitting that doing so is deliberately making the search results 'worse' in a big to avoid further fines.
These rules were implemented by the EU in an attempt to 'level the playing field' for other companies that allegedly weren't receiving the same placement within Google's searches, specifically relating to price comparison sites for travel-related activities like holidays, plane journeys, hotels, and restaurants.
These sites, widely referred to as 'vertical search services' (VSS), include major platforms like Expedia and Booking.com, as per Reuters, and it is believed that the platforms will now receive greater prominence in search results following the EU ruling.
Google has definitively spoken out against the changes despite abiding by them, indicating that they mark the 'largest reduction in quality' for the internet's most used service across its entire history, and also has the potential to negatively impact businesses in the European market.
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Prospective fines laid out by Google were enough to convince the company to make the change, however, as it would have had to surrender up to 5% of its total worldwide turnover if compliance was not achieved.
How will the changes make Google worse?
According to Nick Fox, Google's senior vice-president, significant changes are being made to Search in Europe in order to comply with DMA requirements, yet "these changes degrade the user experience for Europeans — boosting online intermediaries at the expense of local businesses, and removing helpful features people rely on every day."
How this will actually manifest will be through the highlighting of one special search engine at the top of the page when you enter a related query, which will then be followed by two other search engines with fewer details.
Gone from this critically are key features like real-time prices, which makes things more complicated and worse for users in Google's eyes, but lessens the potential monopoly Google has over these services in the view of the EU.
Will these changes impact Google in the U.S.?
Critically, this change is currently only being applied to Google users in Europe, with Fox indicating that "users outside of the EU will not be impacted by these changes."
It is highly unlikely that this will ever be mandated beyond the EU unless similar rule changes are enacted in the United States, as Google clearly would not do it of its own volition.
One of Google's key arguments against the change too was the supposed impact that this will have on European businesses, as the company claimed that past changes forced by the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) led to a 30% decline in 'free, direct booking traffic', with customers also allegedly left unsatisfied by complicated search queries.