This day in search marketing history: March 18
Learn what happened on this day in search marketing history – including developments in SEO, PPC, search and digital marketing.
Topic: Joaquín Almunia
This day in search marketing history: January 15
Facebook Graph Search launches, plus: brand profiles in Google knowledge panels, Rand Fishkin's last day at Moz, and more.
Yelp asks Europe to take new antitrust action against Google
Complaint to European Commission applies the logic of the Shopping Search case to local search.
Google says it will offer antitrust remedy to EU to avoid further penalties
Will the proposal bring the consumer-unfriendly return of "10 blue links?"
EU slaps Google with $2.7B antitrust fine for favoring its own content in search results
The fine is much larger than expected and sets a worrying precedent for the company as it faces future cases.
EU sources say $1.17 billion antitrust fine against Google coming in weeks
Shopping search penalty is the first of three potential fines against the company.
EU ready to fine Google billions in shopping search antitrust case [Report]
In one of three active cases, the company faces potential fines of up to $9 billion.
Microsoft Pulls Funding For Anti-Google Lobbying Group FairSearch
According to a report in Re/Code appearing last week, Microsoft has pulled financial support from FairSearch, an anti-Google “watchdog” or lobbying group that has been at the forefront of advancing European antitrust moves against the company. We sought comment from Microsoft when the report appeared, but the company declined to respond. The FairSearch site lists […]
War And Peace: Bloomberg’s Massive History Of Google’s EU Antitrust Case
If you want a history of Google’s search battles with European antitrust regulators, a new article from Brad Stone (and colleagues) at Bloomberg will more than satisfy you. While there’s very little truly new information, the well-researched (and lengthy) piece is nearly comprehensive and captures all the intrigue, as well as the evolving nature of the dispute. The article is provocatively […]
Reports: EU To File Formal Antitrust Charges Against Google This Week
Company could face billions in fines if Commission decides to impose them.
Report: EU Preparing To File Formal Antitrust Charges Against Google
Company could face billions in potential fines, up to 10 percent of revenue.
Oh No They Didn’t: European Parliament Calls For Break Up Of Google
Today, many Americans were busy preparing Thanksgiving meals or getting ready to travel to the homes of friends and family to celebrate the holiday. But Google certainly won’t be giving thanks for the European Parliament’s vote in favor of a resolution to “unbundle” Google’s search engine from the rest of its business. The widely anticipated, non-binding vote calls upon […]
Europeans Have Authority To Seek Google Break Up Though Unlikely To Do So
Break Google up. That’s the thrust of a “non-binding” resolution the European Parliament is expected to adopt at some point in the near future, according to a report on Friday from Reuters. The recommendation is likely to be to separate Google’s search engine from the rest of the business. Needless to say, if this were to come to pass it […]
SearchCap: Google AdWords Inventory, EU-Google Antitrust & MapQuest Commute App
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Now Lets Travelers Know When Flight Prices Drop Google is helping travelers save money with a new Now card that tells users when a price has dropped on a flight. […]
EU Antitrust Endgame Looking More Murky, Risky For Google
The Wall Street Journal added more color to the unfolding story of the collapse of the Google-European Commission antitrust settlement. Notwithstanding denials by outgoing competition czar Joaquín Almunia, it’s clear that pressure from major European publishers, rivals and politicians undermined the deal. We’re in something of a “now what?” moment. If a settlement cannot be […]
SearchCap: Google Slaps PBNs, Bing iOS 8 App & comScore Search Marketing Share
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing Rolls Out New Updates For Its iPhone App Bing has released new updates for its iPhone app, adding a Bing Translator button, as well as including Bing’s image of the […]
SearchCap: Ditching Ranking Reports, EU Publishers Threaten To Sue Google & More
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: On Average, 171 Health Insurance Advertisers Bid On Same Top Keywords In Google Health insurance advertisers spent more than $103 million on Google AdWords in the U.S. in the first half […]
Publishers To EC: We Want More From Google Or We’ll Sue
As we discussed last week, the current Europe-Google antitrust settlement is dead. This is a surprising turn of events considering that it was once described by European regulators as essentially a done deal. Outgoing European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia confirmed last week in a talk at Georgetown University that a deal could not be finalized before he leaves office in a […]
SearchCap: Google EU Antitrust, Google Algorithms & Third-Party PLAs
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Google Brings PLAs To Third-Party Sites Like Walmart.com Today, Google announced it is extending its popular product listing ads (PLAs) to retail and e-commerce sites across the Google Search Network. The […]
Google’s Current EU-Antitrust Settlement Appears Dead
Without immediate, new concessions from Google, it appears that the company will not be able to finalize an antitrust settlement with the European Commission before antitrust chief Joaquin Almunía leaves office in November. It’s almost certain that a stronger Google critic will succeed him making a future settlement even tougher. A few months ago, after […]
EU-Google Antitrust Deal May Be Collapsing
Since the first Google antitrust settlement proposal was announced in 2013 the company’s rivals and critics have complained loudly that it doesn’t go far enough to remedy what they see as Google’s unjustified “diversion” of their traffic to Google’s own “vertical” properties. They’ve lobbied regulators and produced white papers and PR campaigns aimed at undoing […]
Yelp Joins Effort To Undo Current Google-EU Antitrust Settlement
Yelp has been an increasingly vocal critic of Google for several years. Now it has joined a group of companies opposing the European Commission’s current antitrust settlement proposal with Google. Originally Google and Yelp were partners. Google unsuccessfully tried to buy Yelp for a rumored $500 million a year or so before the company went […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, March 18, 2014
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing Ads Starts Allowing Keyword Variations Once Flagged As Duplicate Just about anyone who has imported a campaign from Google AdWords or uploaded a new keyword set into Bing Ads has […]
EU Antitrust Chief Says Google Settlement Essentially Done
Amid criticism from politicians and Google’s critics, EU antitrust chief Joaquín Almunia has essentially said that the current version of Google’s antitrust settlement proposal is a done deal. While he didn’t rule out changes definitively he seems to think complainants’ criticisms have been addressed. The current proposal requires Google to give up considerable screen real estate and […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, February 17, 2014
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Starbucks & The Economist Admit To Using Google+ For SEO More Than Social Last Friday, a New York Times report on Google+ spotlighted Starbucks and The Economist as two brands currently […]
Google Publishes Full Text Of EU Antitrust Agreement
This afternoon on its European Blog, Google’s General Counsel Kent Walker exposed the full text of the company’s third-proposed and tentatively accepted antitrust settlement agreement with European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia. Almunia previously declined to make the full agreement available. The document, dated January 31, 2014, is quite long (embedded below) and contains extensive examples of […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, February 13, 2014
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing Ads Expands Mobile Sitelinks Coverage In US, Will Roll Out To EU Markets Bing Ads announced today that it will complete roll out of sitelink extensions on mobile devices in […]
Will 11th Hour Objections Derail The Google-EU Antitrust Settlement?
When the European Commission recently announced yet another antitrust settlement with Google the matter appeared to be coming to an end. This was the third proposed settlement from Google but indications from EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia suggested that it was essentially final and only formalities remained to approve it. Unlike the two previous settlement proposals, this […]
Wow! See How Much Screen Real Estate Google Is Giving Rivals In Its EU Antitrust Settlement
Google’s finally reached a proposed agreement with the European Union over antitrust charges. Judging from screenshots the EU has released, it will give Google rivals unprecedented positioning in Google’s results, sometimes for free, sometimes for a fee. Consider how the EU is saying that shopping results will appear, as part of the agreement. The before: […]
It’s Done: Google Settles Search Antitrust Case In Europe
Roughly a year after Google settled an antitrust investigation with the US Federal Trade Commission, Bloomberg is reporting that Google and the European Commission have reached a final settlement that would end the regulator’s antitrust search investigation against the company. According to the report, “Google will escape fines or any finding by regulators that it […]
Report: Google Close (Again) To EU Antitrust Settlement
The third time may be the charm. According to Reuters Google is (once again) “close to settling a three-year antitrust probe by European regulators after it offered ‘much better’ concessions” to the European Commission (EC). However Google has been here before. Two previous antitrust settlements were strenuously opposed and thus defeated by Google critics and competitors. […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, January 15, 2014
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: EU Wants More Search Concessions, Google Defies French Authority Round and round she goes. The European Commission is seeking a final round of “concessions” from Google in an 11th hour effort […]
EU Wants More Search Concessions, Google Defies French Authority
Round and round she goes. The European Commission is seeking a final round of “concessions” from Google in an 11th hour effort to settle potential antitrust claims against the company. EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia made public statements asserting that Google needs to deliver additional, revised proposals within weeks to avoid a formal antitrust proceeding. […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, December 20, 2013
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: England’s Lulworth Cove Tops Bing’s List Of Most Popular 2013 Homepage Images Bing has released its ten most popular homepage images of the year, with England’s Lulworth Cove off of the […]
EU: Google Antitrust Concessions “Unacceptable” As Second Study Condemns “Rival Links”
European Union competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia announced Friday in a Spanish radio interview that Google’s second round of concessions in its current antitrust settlement proposal were “unacceptable.” The main obstacle to settlement is still Google’s treatment of competitors and its “own content” in “vertical search” results. Almunia was directly involved in negotiating the original settlement proposal […]
Google To Get EU “Watchdog” As Part Of Antitrust Settlement
The New York Times is reporting that as part of the anticipated antitrust settlement in Europe Google is likely to be subject to a “watchdog” overseer. This role is explained in a “96-page [job] description” according to the paper: Among the details of the job: The title is monitoring trustee. And although the salary remains […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, October 1, 2013
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Maps Roundup: Google Avoids Waze Antitrust Fight, Scout Social Mapping, deCarta Route Patent Google spent just over $1 billion to take Waze away from Facebook, Apple or Nokia and Microsoft. It […]
New Google Antitrust Offer A “Significant Improvement” Says EU
After Google’s competitors loudly complained about the company’s antitrust settlement proposal, which displayed three “rival links” to alternative’ search results, European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said it would take new “concessions” for Google to successfully settle its antitrust case with Europe. Google has now reportedly made those concessions. Almunia characterized Google’s updated settlement offer, submitted last […]
SearchCap: The Day In Search, May 28, 2013
Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the Web. From Search Engine Land: Getting Away From Our PPC Campaigns This Summer Having just finished marching in three parades and playing Taps at Memorial Day observances to honor our deceased veterans, I find myself looking […]
EU Says More Google “Concessions” Needed Before Antitrust Settlement
The vigorous lobbying efforts of Google critics FairSearch.org and Foundem’s SearchNeutrality.org seem to be paying off. Earlier today EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told members of the European Parliament that additional “concessions” would probably be required of Google to settle the antitrust investigation against the company and avoid litigation and potential financial penalties. According to […]