The Digital Markets Act (DMA) was created to change the digital landscape in Europe. This new European legislation aims to promote competition, end monopolistic behavior and ensure that digital markets are fairer and more open.

To understand its importance, we must first explore how Google became a dominant force in the search industry and how this dominance has impacted the market.

How Google Became a Search Monopoly

Google’s journey to dominance began in the late 1990s.

In 1999, it was a search engine that made it easy for users to discover new brands. Its algorithms provided faster and more relevant results than other search engines of the time, and it quickly became the preferred platform for Internet users around the world.

In the early 2000s, Google revolutionized the way people and businesses accessed information. The introduction of search engine optimization (SEO) has further amplified this phenomenon.

Brands around the world have started investing heavily in SEO to ensure that their products and services rank well on Google. The growth of SEO has solidified Google’s role as a central player in the search ecosystem.

However, as Google’s search platform grew, it expanded beyond providing links to third-party websites and introduced its services, such as Google Flights, Google Shopping, and Google Hotels .

Initially, these products provided more convenience to users, but over time they also allowed Google to prioritize its own services over those of its competitors.

Google gained near total control of the market, with more than 90% of global search traffic flowing through its platform by the mid-2010s. This is a stunning result, but one that also raises serious concerns.

As Google increasingly preferred its products in search results, competition was stifled.

For example, travel startups and price comparison websites began seeing a significant drop in their traffic because Google was placing its own offerings at the top of search results.

According to a European Commission report, Google’s practices have reduced traffic to competing comparison services by up to 85% in the UK, 92% in Germany and 40% in France.

This overwhelming control over multiple verticals in the digital space has given Google unprecedented power, which many critics say has come at the expense of competition, innovation and consumer choice.

The law on digital markets

In response to Google’s dominance, the European Union has taken action.

After years of legal battles and fines, the EU adopted the DMA, which came into force in 2024.

The DMA aims to ensure that large online platforms, called “gatekeepers” (like Google), do not abuse their market power.

The DMA introduces several essential rules intended to restore competition and prevent monopolistic practices:

• “No preference” rule: This rule prevents gatekeepers from favoring their own services in search results. For example, Google can no longer promote Google Flights or Google Hotels over competing services in the same category.
• Severe penalties for non-compliance: Companies that violate the DMA face hefty fines, up to 10% of their global annual turnover, with additional penalties for repeat violations. Given the scale of Google’s operations, this could result in billions of dollars in fines.

The DMA also targets other practices, such as bundling of services, unfair access to data, and restrictions on application developers using the platform. It aims to level the playing field, ensuring small businesses have a fair chance to compete in the market.

Although Google has expressed its willingness to comply, the size and scope of its operations mean that full compliance will require a significant change in its operations.

It also remains to be seen whether these changes will significantly reduce Google’s dominance or simply create new obstacles for competitors.

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Why is this important for SEOs?

Since the entry into force of the DMA, the impact on Google’s search results has been noticeable, particularly in the travel sector, largely dominated by Google services.

Significant changes in search engine results pages (SERPs) for travel-related keywords have occurred in several European countries, including Italy and Germany.

I became an investigator and partnered with seoClarity, which provided me with significant research on changes in search results for over 1.5 million keywords in Italy and Germany.

For example, when Italian users search for travel or hotel information, they now often see comparison features at the top of the SERP, showing results from a variety of different services rather than just Google’s own products.

Data from a study of 150,000 travel-related keywords in the Italian market showed that comparison features appear in 81% of searches in the top three positions – indicating that Google is starting to comply with the non-preference rule in this sector.

Data from 1.35 million keywords in Germany suggests that similar changes are visible.

For example, when users search for hotel reservations, Google Hotels, which once dominated the top spot, is now more often ranked second or lower, with third-party comparison tools appearing in higher positions.

This represents a positive development for competitors who previously struggled to rank against Google’s own services.

However, Google’s compliance is not universal. In some cases, such as in the case of flight searches, Google’s services dominate the top spots, suggesting that full compliance with the DMA is still a work in progress.

Nevertheless, these early changes clearly indicate that the DMA is starting to have an impact on the way research results are presented in Europe.

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Key Takeaways for SEOs and Businesses

The evolving search landscape post-DMA compliance offers valuable insights to businesses and SEOs looking to optimize their strategies.

Experiment with SERP Features

With the introduction of more and more comparison features in search results, SEOs should focus on optimizing these new snippets.

This involves understanding how query shortcuts work and adjusting content to fit these new formats.

Monitor and report non-compliance

Although the DMA aims to ensure fair competition, Google’s search results may favor its own services.

Businesses are encouraged to remain vigilant and report any non-compliance to the appropriate regulators directly to the DMA team here.

Stay agile and keep testing

The research landscape is changing rapidly. Businesses need to continually experiment with different optimization techniques.

This includes leveraging new SERP features and adapting to evolving algorithms that prioritize third-party comparison tools and services over Google’s own offerings.