UPDATE: See Google comment below.
Gocompare.com, a seemingly harmless UK-based car insurance site, is facing Google's wrath for unknown reasons.
The details are a little vague, but this is what we know: At the beginning of the month, Google-driven search traffic to Gocompare.com fell off a cliff. As Hitwise illustrates (right), search results for Gocompare (based on searches for "car insurance") all but evaporated by the beginning of February.
Admittedly, we haven't heard the full story: It's possible that Gocompare somehow violated Google's terms of service and was penalized accordingly. Gocompare wouldn't comment beyond the fact that they've gotten the boot in Google search results and they don't know why.
"We are aware that our position on Google’s search engine results pages (SERP’s) has dropped in recent weeks . . .There has been no contact from Google confirming why Gocompare.com now appears lower in SERP’s," the company said in a statement.
(Google was not available to comment.)
Still, a potential decline in traffic -- which could represent a financial blow to any web-based business -- raises antitrust concerns. Based on lost revenue, Gocompare could file a monopolization claim, according to Carlton Varner, an antitrust attorney with Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton. However, the company would have to prove that Google unilaterally refused to deal, Varner says.
"Since Google has such large market share, you could have a monopolization claim, but it would have to be based on a unilateral refusal to deal. And while blacklisting could qualify as a refusal to deal, it's quite difficult to establish," Varner says.
UPDATE: Google wouldn't comment on the specifics, but the company did say this: "We're always working to improve search -- making it faster, more relevant and more comprehensive. We make several changes to our algorithms every week, all focused on improving the experience for users."
ALSO, as several readers helpfully pointed out, Gocompare has been suspected of using paid links to boost its PageRank, which could explain the penalty.
Graphic: Hitwise
