Suzy Badaracco’s Post

Search Manipulation: Why Yelp’s Lawsuit Matters for the Food Industry Yelp’s lawsuit against Google is a timely reminder of how search manipulation can impact businesses of all sizes. 📉 This comes on the heels of a federal judge ruling that Google violated antitrust laws by monopolizing the search market. ⚖️ For the food industry, this means that even top-quality brands 🍽️ could be overshadowed by lower-quality competitors, simply because of search engine tactics. 🔍 It’s a critical issue that businesses need to monitor closely, as it could significantly affect visibility and customer acquisition. #CulinaryTides #SuzyBadaracco #SearchTransparency #Antitrust #FoodIndustryInsights Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eVysUUfS

Are monopolies even bad? Yelp sued Google for promoting their own reviews. Yelp also collects reviews, so it harms them. Here is a quote from Yelp’s blog post: “Our case is about Google, the largest information gatekeeper in existence, putting its heavy thumb on the scale to stifle competition and keep consumers within its own walled garden” Pretty rough, ain’t it? But of course Google will show all the info they have. Because it’s convenient for users to immediately see: ➯ Directions ➯ Reviews ➯ Tickets ➯ Prices And much, much more. I even ran an experiment and Googled “Pizza near me”. You can see the first 3 scrolls in the carousel. On the top, we obviously see Google's own info. Yelp can be found on the second scroll. And that’s very high, by the way. It’s the 3rd website on the list. Also note that Google has like 10 times more reviews than any other platform. And that’s very important for me as a user. So yeah, unless Google’s code doesn’t look like this: if company==”Yelp”: ↳ DontShowInSearchResults() I don’t have a problem with them. Do you agree or not? Let’s talk in the comments. P.S. I’m talking about product-market fit tomorrow. (in my newsletter, of course) Subscribe not to miss out on this article. #productmanagement #product #google

Google has already become a product marketplace, sadly further hurting independent review sites like HouseFresh Here's how Google's latest algorithm update led to a 91% loss of search traffic to House of Fresh: "Broad pages with generic recommendations from big media sites have been pushed to the top, followed by Google Shopping product listings... ... it's no longer just about Reddit and big media sites getting pushed to the top with sub-par content. Google's intention to encourage you to buy directly from search results (a.k.a. 'meet your needs') is evident, even in cases where you are just researching what's out there." So yes. Google has already become a product marketplace, sadly further hurting independent review sites like HouseFresh - A must read by Gisele Navarro Credit Aleyda Solís find the article in the comments.

We've known this was coming but Google is prioritizing their best interests over all organic traffic. First they'll show you results they are being paid for and then they will show shopping results. Your best best is to make sure your content and metas are super user friendly and current, and optimize your page structure for AI Search! #seo #google #organicsearch

Google has already become a product marketplace, sadly further hurting independent review sites like HouseFresh 😞 Here's how Google’s latest algorithm update led to a 91% loss of search traffic to House of Fresh: "Broad pages with generic recommendations from big media sites have been pushed to the top, followed by Google Shopping product listings... ... it’s no longer just about Reddit and big media sites getting pushed to the top with sub-par content. Google’s intention to encourage you to buy directly from search results (a.k.a. ‘meet your needs’) is evident, even in cases where you are just researching what’s out there." So yes. Google has already become a product marketplace, sadly further hurting independent review sites like HouseFresh - A must read by Gisele Navarro 👇 find the article in the comments.

If Google search interests you, read this. Thanks for sharing Aleyda. #SEO #SEM

A much needed insight

"Yelp Sues Google: Challenging Monopoly in Local Business Search and Reviews" Yelp, a company known for its platform that connects consumers with local businesses through reviews, is suing Google. Yelp accuses Google of violating antitrust laws by using its dominant position in the search engine market to unfairly suppress competition, specifically targeting Yelp and similar platforms. Key Allegations: Monopoly Abuse: Google is accused of leveraging its monopoly in general search to prioritize its own local search services (like Google Maps and Google Reviews) over competitors such as Yelp. This practice is said to harm consumers by reducing the quality and diversity of search results and limiting consumer choice. Search Manipulation:  Yelp claims that Google intentionally alters its search algorithms and search result layouts (through mechanisms like the "OneBox") to ensure that Google's services appear first in search results, even when other services (like Yelp) might provide better or more relevant content. Harm to Yelp and Competition: Yelp argues that Google’s practices have led to a significant decrease in traffic to Yelp's platform, reducing Yelp's advertising revenues and market share. The complaint suggests that Google's actions are designed not only to suppress Yelp but also to prevent any potential competition from gaining a foothold. Prior Legal Actions:  The complaint references past antitrust cases and investigations involving Google, both in the U.S. and Europe, where Google has faced similar accusations. Yelp uses these precedents to strengthen its argument that Google’s conduct is part of a broader pattern of anti-competitive behavior. Legal Claims: Yelp is seeking several remedies, including: Injunctive Relief: To stop Google from continuing its alleged anti-competitive practices. Monetary Damages: Compensation for the business losses Yelp has incurred due to Google’s actions. Declaratory Relief: A court declaration that Google’s conduct violates U.S. antitrust laws. Significance: This case is important because it challenges the business practices of one of the most powerful companies in the world. It also highlights ongoing concerns about how big tech companies might be using their dominant market positions to stifle competition and limit consumer choice. https://lnkd.in/gxxMDSTX

Yelp. has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google. The allegations? Google is abusing its monopoly in general search to dominate local search. Yelp INC. argues, will provide a level playing field for all local search providers to fairly compete and deliver optimum quality to consumers. Key stats: 🔎 Google owns roughly 80%(down significantly) of the general search market. ✒️ An FTC economist found that 32% of Google’s "reviews" are not actual reviews. https://lnkd.in/gM7MsFUY. Google has increased its year-over-year search advertising revenue by 20% each year for the majority of the last decade. Yelp alleges damage to consumers, competition, and advertisers. Why should this matter to us? : Consumer experience compromised. Users are 'stuck in Google’s walled garden of inferior quality'. : Competition suppressed. Google's self-preference prevents rivals from connecting with consumers. : Advertisers have been hamstrung 💰 Stifled competition means prices soar. It's high time for fair competition, consumer choice, and innovation to flourish in the local search market. in this sense i back yelp. Pls let me know your throughts on #Googlevsyelp in comments. #Antitrust #Google #Yelp #SearchMarket In a shell, Yelp's lawsuit against Google is a significant move in the tech industry, calling for a fair competitive landscape. This lawsuit ultimately aims to safeguard competition, improve the consumer search experience, and foster innovation in the local search market (and put yelp back to top of search rankings)

Google Maps is the one Google product I can't live without - route information, reviews, restaurant reservations, online food ordering: it's all there in one place! The #Gmail of the future might tip that however! I mean #Gmail can actually take all my expense receipts and organize them into a folder? I mean what!! #gmail #google #googleworkspace #genai #productivity