Google is shaking things up once again, this time in response to complaints from the European Union about its search results. The tech giant announced plans to test a new search format for hotel queries in Belgium, Estonia, and Germany, featuring plain “blue link” results to address concerns about compliance with the Digital Markets Act.
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the EU comes with significant penalties for noncompliance, making it a serious matter for Google. The company has been under scrutiny for introducing new rich features that rivals claim go against the DMA’s rules on self-preferencing. Travel comparison sites, in particular, have been vocal about Google’s attempts to sidestep its obligations.
In a recent blog post, Google’s legal director Oliver Bethell highlighted a drop in “direct booking clicks” following the changes to search results. This move seems to be Google’s strategy to navigate the DMA regulations and pit large online travel aggregators against other travel retailers influenced by its search engine.
The latest updates from Google will impact not only the travel sector but also product searches and restaurants. The company believes these changes strike a balance required by the DMA while aiming to provide users and businesses in Europe with useful technology.
The proposed changes include displaying expanded units in search results for products, restaurants, flights, and hotels, giving users the option to choose between Google’s results and those of its rivals. However, visual examples of these changes are yet to be provided, leaving some doubts about how the new format will be implemented.
Google’s attempt to comply with the DMA has faced criticism from travel aggregators, who are concerned about the impact of rich features on hotel search queries. The addition of maps, pricing information, and direct links to hotel websites could potentially favor suppliers and leave comparison sites struggling to compete.
The tech giant is set to conduct a “short test” to assess the impact of removing certain features from search results, such as maps and hotel listings. This move is viewed as a reluctant step by Google, prompted by demands to roll back more sophisticated features to a simpler blue link format.
As Google navigates the complexities of DMA compliance, the European Commission will ultimately determine if the tech giant’s proposed changes align with the regulations. Meanwhile, other concerns have emerged, including accusations from privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo about Google’s handling of data and choice screens required by the DMA.
