Last month, Google listed several changes to Search to comply with the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA). The company says it has made more than 20 changes, like dedicated units and formats that boost the visibility of comparison sites across Europe.
Google said removing features from Search, like displaying flight information and reducing functionality in clickable maps, negatively impacted European users. The company says it has become harder for "airlines, hotel operators, and small retailers to reach customers," with some businesses reporting that booking clicks are down as much as 30%.
The company is also testing a new format similar to the "ten blue links" format it had used years ago in Germany, Belgium, and Estonia. The search giant has been having discussions with comparison services over the past three years and has yet to come up with a desirable format that complies with DMA.
The comparison websites argued in an open letter last year that Google has not removed the preferential treatment for its own Comparison Shopping Services (CSS), and it provides paid results using CSS on search engine results pages (SERP). They say it leads to them being organically demoted in search results unless they sign up for Google's CSS.
In a new open letter accessed by Reuters, the websites have pointed out that Google has "simply, repeatedly, ignored this feedback, and instead continued to iterate on the same non-compliant solution for months."
The websites urged the EU to investigate Google, "issue preliminary findings, and impose fines on Google, including periodic penalty payments, to force Google to finally listen and comply."
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