Google LLC, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (GOOG), announced on Tuesday that it has proposed additional modifications to its European search results in response to requests from comparison sites. These adjustments come in the wake of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which mandates significant changes to the services Google offers in Europe.
In its efforts to comply with the DMA while addressing the demands of comparison sites, Google has introduced expanded and uniformly formatted options. These enhancements allow users searching for products, restaurants, flights, or hotels to choose between directing results to comparison sites or going straight to supplier websites.
The proposed revisions also incorporate new formats enabling comparison sites and suppliers to provide more detailed website information, such as prices and images. Additionally, new advertising units have been created specifically for comparison sites.
Throughout the past year, Google has implemented numerous changes to adhere to these regulations, including significant redesigns and the complete removal of certain features within Europe. This encompasses over 20 modifications to Google Search, such as introducing specific units and formats that highlight comparison sites at no cost in categories like flights, hotels, and shopping.
However, these changes have led to the removal of beneficial features from search results, such as those displaying flight information, and have limited the functionality of clickable maps—alterations that have adversely affected the user experience for European individuals.
"Although many of these modifications have benefitted large online travel aggregators and comparison sites, other businesses are unfortunately experiencing a decline in traffic. Airlines, hotel operators, and small retailers now face increased challenges in reaching customers, with reports indicating that free direct booking clicks have decreased by as much as 30% since we implemented our initial changes," Google stated.
To better understand the potential impact of these changes on user experience and website traffic, Google plans to conduct a short-term test by removing the free hotel features from Google Search for users in Germany, Belgium, and Estonia.
