UK businesses find Google’s search ranking ‘neither fair nor transparent’, the CMA said.
UK’s competition watchdog has ordered Google to tweak its search tool to help businesses reach more customers. As part of its “conduct requirements”, Google must rank search results organically and make free of charge data portability available to third-party businesses.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) awarded Google’s general search and search advertising services with the ‘strategic market status’ (SMS) last year. The designation is applied to businesses that hold substantial market power and significance in a digital activity, enabling the watchdog to take targeted action to improve competition.
Google has also been given the SMS designation in relation to its mobile platform, alongside Apple, while the CMA is considering its position on Microsoft.
UK businesses find Google’s search ranking “neither fair nor transparent”, the CMA said in its statement yesterday (17 June). Businesses told the watchdog that changes to Google’s search practices are made without sufficient notice, and pointed to a lack of effective ways to raise concerns with the company.
