[Kurtz79]

"They're returning relevant information Customers are searching for."

They were really not.

For every search you assume you will be given the more popular matches, what they were doing was purposefully bypassing their own algorithm to their advantage, giving doctored results.

There wouldn't have been any problem if they promoted their service making it clear it was not part of the search results.

EDIT: For a counterexample, google "flights price compare".

You will be shown a small form at the top from which you can use their own service.

It is clearly separated from the search results, which show the actual most popular websites for flight comparison.

[euyyn]

> what they were doing was purposefully bypassing their own algorithm to their advantage, giving doctored results

Where did you get this from?

[Kurtz79]

"Google has systematically given prominent placement to its own comparison shopping service: when a consumer enters a query into the Google search engine in relation to which Google's comparison shopping service wants to show results, these are displayed at or near the top of the search results.

Google has demoted rival comparison shopping services in its search results: rival comparison shopping services appear in Google's search results on the basis of Google's generic search algorithms. Google has included a number of criteria in these algorithms, as a result of which rival comparison shopping services are demoted. Evidence shows that even the most highly ranked rival service appears on average only on page four of Google's search results, and others appear even further down. Google's own comparison shopping service is not subject to Google's generic search algorithms, including such demotions."

[euyyn]

From this sentence?

> Google has included a number of criteria in these algorithms, as a result of which rival comparison shopping services are demoted.

Sounds like a jump to conclude they were doctoring results from "they modify their ranking algorithms".

[gpderetta]

did you miss:

" Evidence shows that even the most highly ranked rival service appears on average only on page four of Google's search results, and others appear even further down. Google's own comparison shopping service is not subject to Google's generic search algorithms, including such demotions."

[euyyn]

I didn't. "Doctoring results" sounds to me like modifying the ranking of organic results to demote those services, which is not what that sentence says either.