U.S.News & World Report Tumblelog

Is Google giving its own products too much preferential treatment in search results?

Will Search Engines One Day Be Overcome With Display Ads?

In Google’s case, its promise to put user experience above profitability was broken long ago. Good examples of Google’s change of heart include when the search engine included Google+ within search results, at the expense of other social networks, and when it decided to feature Zagat results at the expense of Yelp or other local search providers. Search for the term [tablet] and there’s a chance Google will include a sponsored section at the top of each search page, which features its products alongside those of RIM but excludes Apple, presumably because Apple doesn’t pay to be included. As a result, when one searches on Google for [tablet,] results related to Apple’s iPad are barely visible at the very bottom of the screen. Given Apple’s huge market share in the tablet market, its products should really be showing up at the top of any search screen.