Google's European Redesign Fails, While ChatGPT Hides Its Own Search Index

Google's redesign of its search results in the European Economic Area (EEA) has been met with criticism from the company itself, which admits that the changes have led to a decline in search quality. According to Google, the redesign was implemented to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), but it has resulted in a worse user experience for Europeans.

The redesign splits hotel, flight, and restaurant queries into separate units, favoring online intermediaries over local businesses. This change has been met with dissatisfaction from users, who have complained about having to retype their queries. Google's own testing showed that millions of European users were unhappy with the changes.

Meanwhile, ChatGPT has confirmed that it runs its own search index called Labrador, which was revealed through antitrust testimony and job postings. This raises questions about what constitutes 'search quality' and who gets to decide it. Google's claim that its product got worse is not backed up by any objective metrics.

A survey of 131 SEO professionals found that relevance, backlinks, and content quality are still the top factors in determining search rankings. However, this has been consistent for a decade, suggesting that little has changed in terms of Google's algorithm.