How would a Google breakup impact SEO?

U.S. courts have ruled that Google operates as a monopoly, a conclusion that likely surprises few, given that it:

• Dominates web search.
• Controls over half of the mobile market.
• Wields significant influence over online tools like maps, email, and media. 

The Department of Justice proposed breaking up Google as a potential solution. 

To add to this, Google is now facing a UK probe into market dominance.

A likely approach involves splitting Google into three separate entities: 

• Search.
• Android.
• Media.

Such a move would have major implications for investors. 

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is valued at $2.4 trillion, and its stock is widely held in investment portfolios. 

SEO, a practice that has defined how businesses and marketers operate for decades, is at the center of this seismic shift. 

Entire strategies have been built around educated guesswork, deciphering and adapting to Google’s ever-changing algorithms, which have dictated online visibility and traffic for decades. 

Implications for SEO

A key aim of the antitrust trial is to foster greater competition in the market. 

With more default search engine options available to users, Google’s dominance may continue to erode. Its market share recently dipped below 90% for the first time in a decade.

Still, given Google’s reputation for search quality, immediate shifts might remain modest unless a strong competitor, like an Apple search engine, emerges. 

An Apple search engine would quickly gain market share thanks to the widespread use of Apple devices, adding complexity to an already changing space. 

As concerns about data privacy grow, media coverage of Google’s legal battles could push more users toward privacy-focused options like Brave, DuckDuckGo, and Skiff (email).

We’re also seeing “organic search” move away from Google. 

Users increasingly use LLMs and social media platforms to search, find information and products, and make sense of the world, even if we don’t typically think of them as “search engines.”

They will value privacy, accessibility, and ease in different ways.

While all this aligns nicely with the DOJ’s aim of increasing competition in the market, we, as SEOs, need to look beyond Google and the established search engine landscape to see how we can continue to drive value for clients.

Dig deeper: Google CEO Sundar Pichai: Search will profoundly change in 2025

Data sharing requirements

The DOJ might require Google to license its search index and data feeds to competitors like Microsoft Bing or DuckDuckGo, leveling the playing field. 

One of Google’s longstanding differentiators was the quality of search results, even if opinion on that quality has faltered in recent years.

Google’s edge comes largely from its vast data, which enhances search quality. 

For SEO, greater transparency in Google’s algorithms could level the playing field and almost homogenize search engines – making SERP features and AI integrations distinguishing factors and value adds for users. 

Open competition might drive new search engines, and removing personalized results could shift ranking dynamics. 

However, it could also revive early-era SEO tactics like ranking manipulation – at least temporarily.

Google Chrome

The most likely result of a Google breakup would be the separation of the Chrome browser, which might not seem like a significant issue on its own. 

The deeper concern is that Chrome operates on Google’s free, open-source browser software, Chromium. 

This software powers nearly all major browser alternatives, including:

• Microsoft Edge.
• Amazon Silk.
• Opera.
• Brave.
• Vivaldi.
• Sleipnir.
• Naver Whale.
• Yandex YaBrowser.
• 360.
• QQ.
• Coc Coc.

The list continues, but the impact is across the global browser ecosystem.

Since Chromium is open-source, Google’s future actions are uncertain, but any changes could significantly impact search across the board. 

This might disrupt browser SERP pages, search results in mobile apps, and even online shopping platforms.

Such a shift would force SEOs to rethink their strategies to adapt to the evolving landscape.

More directly to Google, this could impact Google’s current rankings and algorithms depending on how much data it takes from Chrome and how this is weighted.

Dig deeper: DOJ’s push to sell Google Chrome sparks industry debate over web’s future

Opting out of SERP features

The DOJ suggests letting publishers opt out of Google’s features, such as AI Overviews or snippets, without losing visibility in search results. 

This would give publishers more control over their content. For SEO, such an option could be transformative, allowing publishers to balance traffic impact with strategic control. 

It would offer new ways to engage the search landscape while retaining visibility.

These changes could fundamentally reshape the relationship between publishers, search engines, and users, fostering a more competitive and transparent web.

We could also see similar in the travel industry, with the Digital Markets Act affecting how Google serves travel related SERP blocks.

What’s next for search and SEO?

While a full breakup of Google seems unlikely, the coming years will see key decisions about its future. 

Divesting Chrome may be considered, but more straightforward remedies could achieve the government’s goals. 

If the DOJ breaks up the Google ecosystem, we can anticipate significant changes in search algorithms across Google and likely Bing. 

This could impact the data given to DuckDuckGo and the results served by LLMs using Bing as a data source. 

Whatever Google’s future holds, adjustments to their algorithms seem inevitable as they prepare for potential divestment. 

Change and challenges are likely, no matter how gradual the process may be.

Android and Google Play, being free and open-source, are less practical targets for addressing monopolistic practices. 

Behavioral solutions, such as banning exclusive contracts, appear more likely.

Among the proposals, requiring Google to provide APIs for its search data stands out. 

This could see search engines double down on features such as AI Overviews – and even the beta Learn About – as differentiators, moving further and further away from the classic SERP model we’ve grown accustomed to. 

Dig deeper: How a Google breakup could change the PPC industry