Search engine giant Google recently made some bold claims about its search quality in a court filing responding to an antitrust lawsuit. The company ardently argued that its search engine quality has steadily improved over the years thanks to continuous innovation and enhancements.
This article will analyze Google’s statements on search quality, assess whether the claims hold up, provide context on the antitrust case, and consider what it means for the search landscape going forward.
In its filing with the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, Google asserted that it operates the highest quality general search engine in the United States. The company stated, “Google’s search engine today is of remarkably high quality – higher than it was 10 years ago, and dramatically better than its peers.”
Google went on to describe having an “unrelenting focus on improving search quality” and highlighted setting explicit quality goals to measure progress each year. Some of the sample annual search quality goals mentioned include improving spelling correction, understanding conversational queries, and ranking authoritative healthcare information higher.
The filing specifically called out innovations like Google’s RankBrain algorithm, Knowledge Graph, intuitive voice searching, and improvements in local search as key drivers of enhancing search quality over time. Google argued that continuous advancement of its search algorithms, along with growing its index of web pages, has steadily made its results more comprehensive, relevant, and useful for those searching online.
A significant motivation behind Google’s search quality assertions appears to be responding to monopoly power allegations. The company forcefully rejected claims that it has illegally maintained its dominant position in the search market, arguing there has been no degradation in quality.
Google stated that barriers to entry are decreasing, not increasing, in the internet search ecosystem. The filing points to search services like Microsoft’s Bing, along with specialized vertical search engines, as evidence that competition continues to grow. Google believes this dynamic marketplace will organically prevent any potential decline in the quality of its search product.
You can read Google´s response Here
But does the available data back up Google’s bold claims that its search quality keeps dramatically improving year after year? There are a few ways to evaluate:
Overall, there are no smoking gun data points validating or invalidating Google’s claims that search quality improves significantly year after year. The truth likely lies somewhere in the middle. While innovations occur, Google search today behaves much like the Google search of a decade ago for most queries.
Complementary article: The Economic Rationale of United States v. Google
Google linking its search quality assertions to monopoly debates prompts deeper consideration of its dominance. Google holds an undisputed leading position in general search, with ~90% market share in the US. Competitors like Microsoft’s Bing have single-digit share.
This dominance forms the crux of the antitrust lawsuit Google aims to appeal. The case alleges Google unlawfully maintains its monopolistic position through exclusionary agreements locking out rivals, violating antitrust laws. But Google claims competition is thriving and anything less than its best quality will lose users.
Most experts agree Google initially gained its commanding position through delivering a superior product. But there are concerns its scale now creates insurmountable competitive barriers, even if challengers build a better mousetrap.
Key points in assessing Google’s market power:
In spite of these advantages, Google does face a long-term threat: The rise of voice search and assistants like Alexa. Over 40% of searches will be voice-initiated by 2022. As the gatekeeper, Amazon holds power in the voice ecosystem, potentially challenging Google.
This emerging dynamic will take years to play out but illustrates the competitive forces still constraining Google from abusing its market power in traditional search. The threat of voice assistants rising further reinforces that barriers to entry may not be as impermeable as critics contend.
Google’s forceful defense of its search quality improvements provides an insightful window into its mindset on competition issues. Few would argue Google has not pushed web search technology forward in meaningful ways. But claims of continuous, dramatic gains should be evaluated with healthy skepticism.
Ongoing legal action and regulatory scrutiny of Google’s dominance can be expected. But the clearest test of Google’s search quality will be the daily choices of its billions of users. If Google traffic and engagement wane substantially over time, it would signal a degradation in meeting searcher needs.
Google’s public commitments to improving search quality also necessitate increased transparency. Providing third parties access to evaluate search algorithm updates and releasing metrics on quality KPIs could bolster trust and accountability.
But in the absence of such steps, Google merits the benefit of the doubt that its search team remains dedicated to evolving an engine people choose to use because it makes their lives easier. If Google’s future innovations match its past contributions to pioneering web search, searchers worldwide stand to benefit.
The coming years will reveal whether Google can maintain its position that developing the world’s best web search engine precludes being a monopoly. But if search quality truly remains Google’s north star, the future of finding information online appears promising.
M&G Speed Marketing LTD. CEO
Jesus Guzman is the CEO and founder of M&G Speed Marketing LTD, a digital marketing agency focused on rapidly growing businesses through strategies like SEO, PPC, social media, email campaigns, and website optimization. With an MBA and over 11 years of experience, Guzman combines his marketing expertise with web design skills to create captivating online experiences. His journey as an in-house SEO expert has given him insights into effective online marketing. Guzman is passionate about helping businesses achieve impressive growth through his honed skills. He has proud case studies to share and is eager to connect to take your business to the next level.