Recently the US Department of Justice declared Google an illegal monopoly. Now the DOJ is considering breaking up Google. What this means for small business is uncertain, but here at Your Right Website we would like to offer some hypotheticals of what might come next.
The Separation of Google Search from Google Ads
One possibility is that the Department of Justice could decide that Google is too dominant in both the search and ads space and require that Google divest from one of these markets. Right now the Google search and advertising products are so intertwined that it’s hard to see how they might be separated. It’s possible that Google may be able to keep search and ads, but be forced to sell off part or all of its Google Ads service that displays ads on other websites, including YouTube. Websites and app developers using Google Ads on their own websites to gain revenue from their visitors’ clicks may also find that this program is now no longer controlled by Google but instead by some other entity.
If your small business relies on Google for advertising, you may find that this program changes in the coming months and years, especially if Google is no longer fully in control of this program. Ads may become less effective or may not be shown to as wide of an audience as they are currently.
Open Access for Google Search
Another possibility is that the DOJ may decide that Google has to give competitors open access to their search data or algorithm. Suddenly you might find that there are three, six, nine or more different search engines that are powered by Google’s search engine. You’ll see different search engines innovate and offer different features on top of Google’s core search data. You’ll see users leave Google and go for their favorite new search engine based on their unique personalities and search preferences.
As a small business owner, this may make gaining new customers harder if you’re not prepared. If the primary source of your business is via your Google Business Profile, you’ll have less users using Google and thus less eyes on your listing. Where there was once just one site where you had to have a business profile, instead you’ll need to have a profile on each of these new search engines in order to be properly found. This can mean managing many different profiles, each with their own rules and requirements.
Goodbye Google Default Search
According to MarketWatch, the breakup of Google as an entity is unlikely, but Google may be forced to stop offering exclusive deals with phone manufacturers and browser makers to be the default search engine. Much like if Google’s algorithm is opened to the public, you’ll have less eyeballs on your Google specific listings with users flocking to different search engines that are set as their defaults on different devices.
You may also see some really odd things happen in the browser space. Google may be forced to divest from the Google Chrome browser, putting that project under the control of some other company or even potentially becoming open source. You may also see the Firefox browser struggle to gain revenue, as most of their income comes from allowing Google to be the default search engine on their browser.
No matter what happens, Google not being able to muscle itself into the default search spot in as many places in the future means less eyeballs on your Google Business Profile.
How you can protect your small business from a coming Google break up or shake up:
If your business is too reliant on a Google My Business profile, you might find that in the coming months and years your business starts to slump as users move away from Google towards other search engines. You might also find that your advertising on Google isn’t as effective as it once was.
Luckily, you can improve your business’s odds of being found online with a high quality website, like the ones we offer here at Your Right Website. Having a website that is fast and easy to navigate will become much more crucial in the event that less users are using Google and moving to alternative search engines.
If you’ve been on the fence about building a website for your small business, now’s the time to act. Once changes are made to Google, it’s going to be so much harder to get started. You don’t want to find yourself suddenly cut off from customers via Google and be struggling to gain new customers. Be prepared for this in advance with a new website.
We offer small business web design packages that will have your business ready for any changes that might occur with Google in the upcoming months. Schedule a free consultation with us today to get started.