In most cases, a misleading result from a Google search is harmless, but a case study by a consumer financial information website released Monday shows how those results can cause economic harm to searchers.
In its study, WalletHub did a Google search for “best 0 APR credit cards.” Here’s what it found:
Trusting the top recommendations from the websites Google ranks on the first page of its search results costs consumers an average of US$341.
Following the biased recommendation from credit card companies on the first page of search results costs consumers an average of $216.
Following the top search result — a link to Reddit’s Best Options for 0% APR Right Now — costs consumers $568.
