In a landmark decision, a US judge ruled that Google has acted illegally to maintain its monopoly on online search and related advertising.
The ruling of this case could be a major blow to Google and its parent company Alphabet, potentially reshaping how tech giants do business online.
Judge Amit P. Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia said in a 277-page ruling that the search engine giant Google has abused its power over the search engine landscape, spending billions to make sure it’s the default browser on smartphones and browsers.
This has resulted in Google having a 90% market share of the search engine market, with its closest competitor, Bing, having less than 4%.
The US Department of Justice also argues that this dominance has also extended to online advertising.
But what does this ruling mean for the search engine giant?
And, more importantly, what does this ruling mean for your business?
If Google faces significant penalties or has to make changes to its business model, it could have a major impact on how businesses approach search engine optimisation (SEO).
That’s what we want to dive into today, discussing why Google has been sued and what this means for the world of SEO. Let’s get into it.
Why Has Google Been Sued?
In 2020, Google was sued by the US Department of Justice over its 90% market share in the search engine market.
This antitrust trial is one of several lawsuits filed against Google as US and European regulators increasingly scrutinise the company’s business practices and attempt to strengthen competition in the search engine space.
The main allegation against Google is that they have used their dominant market position to stifle competition and maintain a monopoly on online search and advertising, ultimately leading to harm for consumers.
The US Department of Justice claims that Google has spent large amounts of money (such as $26.3 billion in 2021) on companies like Apple, Samsung, and Mozilla to make Google the default search engine on their devices.
This has made it extremely difficult for other search engines to compete in the market due to lack of visibility and accessibility.
Google has denied these claims, however, yesterday’s ruling by Judge Mehta proves otherwise.
Its parent company Alphabet has said it plans to appeal against the ruling.
The penalty Google and Alphabet will receive is not yet known, but it could have a major effect on how they conduct business going forward.
Is Google Breaking the Law?
The federal court’s ruling that Google has violated antitrust law and is an illegal monopoly is a major blow to the search engine giant and its parent company Alphabet.
The judge described Google’s actions as “unlawful” and stated that they have maintained their monopoly through tactics of exclusion.
However, as mentioned, Google and Alphabet plan to appeal this ruling.
What Effect Will Google Being Sued Have on SEO?
While we are still awaiting the verdict, we can still speculate on what impact this ruling may have on the world of SEO.
Depending on the penalties Google and Alphabet receive, there is a very realistic possibility that Google may no longer be the go-to search engine on the latest iPhones or laptops.
Does this mean that alternative search engines like Bing and Yahoo will finally get their chance to compete on a level playing field?
And if so, what impact will this have on user behaviour and ranking signals?
Let’s dive into it.
Google is a House Name
Before we dive into the potential fallout of this ruling, it’s important to acknowledge that Google is a worldwide household name and has become synonymous with surfing the internet.
In fact, “Google” is even recognised as a verb in the dictionary – meaning to search for something on the internet using the Google search engine.
So, even if other search engines are given a fair chance to compete, it is unlikely that they will ever overtake Google in terms of popularity and usage.
Will Google Being Sued Help Bing SEO?
Bing is Google’s closest competitor, holding 3.86% of the worldwide search engine market share as of July 2024.
If Google is to see any significant changes to its business model, this could potentially open up more opportunities for Bing to increase its market share.
What’s more, if Bing becomes the choice search engine for certain devices and browsers, it will significantly increase the number of searches being conducted on Bing.
This means that businesses will need to start considering and optimising for Bing, instead of solely focusing on Google – but any SEO worth their salt is already doing that.
Bing’s algorithm places a heavier focus on ‘traditional’ ranking factors, such as keywords, page titles and metadata, while Google prioritises user intent and experience in its SERPs.
The Bing algorithm also finds more worth in social signals than Google, so businesses may want to start ramping up their social media presence if they haven’t already.
One major change that we could see if Google were to be dethroned as the search engine king is the shift in preference for mobile usability.
While Google’s algorithm prioritises mobile-friendly websites, Bing’s Christi Olson has been outspoken on the topic, saying that Bing has no plans to implement a mobile-first indexing policy.
With so many users turning to their phones for search, this could disadvantage Bing at this pivotal moment as their content may provide users with a poor user experience.
However, this opportunity could also encourage them to invest more in mobile optimisation.
The Ripple Effect of Bing Increasing Market Share
Lets say, for the sake of argument, Bing increases its market share over the next three years – rising from nearly 4% to 15%.
What does that mean for the way users interact with search engines?
Currently, Bing is largely a secondary choice for users, only sought out when Google can’t provide the desired results.
But if Bing becomes a more viable option for primary use, we could see a significant change in user behaviour.
For example, if Bing becomes the default search engine on new iPhones or Windows laptops, users may stick with it out of convenience instead of immediately switching to Google.
With more traffic directed towards Bing, content creators may feel compelled to hyper-focus on traditional SEO strategies, such as optimising for keywords, backlinks, and metadata, rather than prioritising user experience as emphasised by Google.
This could result in a widening divide between the content found on the first pages of Bing and Google, creating an environment where content value, underpinned by traditional SEO metrics, becomes the dominant focus for an increasing number of creators.
If this were to happen, it is likely that what is on page one for a search query on Bing will not match Google, making it more important than ever to optimise for both search engines if you want to reach a wider audience.
Although this increase in Bing’s market share could lead to a re-evaluation of strategies, it’s probable that Google will retain its dominance over the market
What’s more, with Google’s advanced algorithm favouring mobile usability, user experience and semantic search, the results provided on Google’s first page of SERPs will likely be of higher quality in terms of usefulness and relevance to the user.
This improved search experience could encourage users to face the weighty task of downloading the Google app onto their new device and jumping ship at the first opportunity.
Will Google Being Sued Help Yahoo SEO?
Yahoo is the company with the fourth biggest worldwide search engine market share as of July 2024, holding just 1.24% compared to Google (91.04%), Bing (3.86%) and YANDEX (1.36%).
It may come as a surprise to some, but Yahoo uses Bing’s algorithm for its search engine results.
In fact, the only difference between Bing and Yahoo is their logo and layout.
The biggest way Yahoo attempts to set itself apart from other search engines is with its user experience.
By providing personalised news, sports and finance content to users, Yahoo could potentially see an influx in traffic if the ruling against Google means more people are seeking out alternative search engines – but we feel like if that were to happen, Bing would be the better shout.
Will the Google Antitrust Lawsuit Affect Its AI Development?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the topic that digital marketers can’t stop talking about lately – and fair enough, the possibilities are pretty exciting.
Bing has long welcomed generative AI content on its SERPs, utilising the tool to give it a slight competitive advantage in a largely Google-dominated industry.
But Google has been no slouch in the AI game either, especially following the unveiling of BERT (now Gemini) and RankBrain in recent years.
The introduction of these algorithms was, and still is, a game-changer for search engine optimisation – so if Google’s AI development slowed due to this lawsuit, we could see Bing edge ahead in the AI battle.
Some experts have argued that this lawsuit could potentially affect the development of Google’s AI, especially if changes to the business model are forced upon them to address the court’s verdict.
AI has become an integral part of search engine algorithms and user experience, so any disruption in its development could have a ripple effect throughout the entire SEO industry.
The Final Verdict
There are so many open-ended questions and potential implications for the SEO industry as a result of this ruling. But ultimately, will this change anything?
Probably not.
Although it might open the door for other search engines to increase their market share and potentially shake up the industry, Google is still an incredibly dominant force in the search engine world.
Sure, it can be argued that spending billions has allowed Google to maintain its position, but the fact remains that they have consistently provided users with relevant and valuable search results.
Simply put, Google is the best search engine on the market – or at least that’s what we think.
Whether it’s developments in semantic search, advancements in AI or improvements in user experience, Google is always pushing the boundaries and setting the standard for other search engines to follow.
By raising the bar so high and setting the precedent for what a first-page ranking website should be, Google has improved the quality of content on the internet as a whole.
So, while the antitrust lawsuit may spark some short-term changes and debates, it’s unlikely that Google will lose its stronghold in the search engine industry.
We’ll be following this story closely, so make sure to stay up to date with the latest developments in the world of search engines and SEO.
Want to discuss what you think the implications of the Google antitrust lawsuit could mean for your business and the wider SEO community?
Feel free to comment on our LinkedIn post on the topic with your thoughts and opinions on the topic – let’s start a conversion.