UK orders Google to improve transparency for search services

British businesses complain Google’s current ranking practices are neither fair nor transparent.

The United Kingdom’s competition ⁠watchdog has ordered Google to provide greater transparency on how its search rankings work, as part of new rules addressing concerns over the US ⁠tech giant’s dominance in the sector.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on Wednesday said Google must rank organic search results using objective criteria, increase transparency around rankings, introduce clearer complaint processes and allow users to transfer their search data to authorised third parties.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3What a UK court’s backing of the Palestine Action ‘terror’ ban means
• list 2 of 3UK court convicts two over PM-targeting plot run by mysterious Russian
• list 3 of 3Inside the ‘unacceptable’ UK fair selling property in Israeli settlements

Under the new requirements, Google must rank results using “objective and non-discriminatory criteria” and give businesses more information about how rankings work.

CMA Executive Director Digital Markets Will Hayter said that “step by step, we’re ensuring that Google’s search services work better for businesses and consumers across the UK.”

“Search is a vital gateway for businesses in the UK to reach customers, and clearer, predictable and more transparent ranking systems could give them greater scope to expand and invest,” Hayter said.

The new measures build on existing requirements ⁠announced by the regulator earlier this month, which enable publishers to prevent their content from being used to power Google’s AI features.

The CMA designated Google with “strategic market status” last year, subjecting it to special requirements under new targeted measures focused on technology giants.

Google has ⁠six months to implement the fair ranking requirement, and three ⁠months for the data portability requirement, the CMA said. The US company accounts for ⁠more than 90 percent of UK search queries.

The UK adopted a new digital markets competition regime in January 2025, allowing the CMA to take targeted and proportionate action to improve competition in digital markets.

Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a ban on social media sites ⁠⁠for under-16s as the United Kingdom plans to join a growing list of countries that place online restrictions on children.

As well as a ban on sites ‌‌such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram, he said his government would take action against gaming and livestreaming services that allow children to talk to strangers.