Google said it will change its Search services in the European Union as it seeks to avoid further fines after the European Commission penalized the company over self-preferencing in search results.. The Commission imposed a 460 million euro fine, about $534 million, on claims that Google abused its dominance in search by prioritizing its own services when displaying results..
The case is part of the EU’s enforcement of the Digital Markets Act, which bars major technology companies from treating their own services more favorably in rankings than third-party services.. Google first outlined planned changes in March 2024 to comply with the DMA. Later that month, the Commission opened an investigation into Google, Apple and Meta over alleged self-preferencing, including the placement of Google Flights information above rivals in travel-related search queries..
A year later, the Commission issued its first fines against Google over the alleged conduct. Reports in October 2025 said Google had offered to change how search results are displayed to meet the bloc’s rules.. Reuters reported that Google’s revised search results will place one specialized search engine at the top of the page, followed by two others with fewer details.
A carousel for hotels, airlines and restaurants will sit below them, with features such as real-time prices removed.. Those specialized search engines include sites such as Expedia and Hotels.com. Reuters said the rankings will still be determined by Google’s algorithm..
The Commission gave Google 60 days to comply, but the company has not said when European users will see the changes.. Google told Reuters the changes would amount to the largest decline in search service quality in the product’s history. Nick Fox, Google’s senior vice-president of knowledge and information, said the changes “degrade the user experience for Europeans, boosting online intermediaries at the expense of local businesses, and removing helpful features people rely on every day.”.
Reuters said Google linked earlier DMA-related search changes to a 30% drop in free, direct booking traffic to European businesses. The company said it expected another decline after the new updates.. Featured image credit.
Tags: Google
