Airbnb reveals in its prospectus that Google restricts its search traffic

At present, the US Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against Google is in full swing, and some companies have stated that Google will limit search traffic if they do not pay.

Airbnb, a well-known short-term rental operation platform for homestays, is currently submitting an IPO application to the United States, and Airbnb is seeking a listing on the US Nasdaq Stock Exchange.

It is interesting that Airbnb revealed in the prospectus that the search engine Google is preventing it from obtaining more network traffic, which may have a negative impact on subsequent development.

As the gatekeeper of the Internet, Google can do a lot of things through search engines, including allowing consumers to see those companies, and also allowing companies to disappear in the search results.

Although Google denies it, many companies have complained that Google uses rankings to force companies to pay. If companies do not pay, search rankings may decline.

“Airbnb” by Open Grid Scheduler / Grid Engine is marked with CC0 1.0

If the ranking drops to a certain level, most users will not see companies when they search on Google, which will result in a lack of traffic for these companies, which is not conducive to market competition.

Although Google has denied this news more than once, it has also been mentioned in the antitrust lawsuit of the US Department of Justice.

For Google, although this measure is shameless, it is a way to make money. Companies have to pay Google to open keyword advertising for ranking and traffic.

Airbnb started in the prospectus that Google prefers Google’s own products and services, which will result in a decrease in traffic on Airbnb’s website and potential users.

Last year, Google added more search functions similar to travel sites. It is clear that Google’s own services rank better so it can get more users instead of being diverted.

Airbnb said the company’s position in Google search results for travel-related vocabulary has been lowered, and the company is more focused on search engine optimization rather than paying.

Through free search engine optimization, Airbnb’s ranking can be improved because the content is more relevant, but Google adjusts its algorithms or services Airbnb cannot control.

Finally, Airbnb also warned that if the Google search ranking problem persists, the company will be forced to invest more marketing expenses, which may reduce profits.

Via: CNBC