In the ongoing news of Google’s antitrust settlement proposal, it looks like things might be wrapping up quite soon. EU antitrust chief Joaquin Almunia has said that the antitrust settlement with Google is a done deal. Although there could still be room for changes in the future, Joaquin feels that the criticisms of the complainants have been dealt with.
With the proposal that is currently on the table, Google will be required to give up a good amount of screen space and branding to vertical rivals, such as Yelp.
Those who are opposed to Google wants another market test, as they aren’t all that willing to pay for placements when they are already being charged for listings (like in Google Shopping). Even with this continued outcry from Google’s opponents, the EU feels that this is reasonable.
What will happen with these branded “rival links” in terms of traffic has yet to be seen. There is really only one way to tell…we sit and wait. Then we will see what happens. With this scenario, we may see these branded sites becoming more valuable in the future.
Original Source by Greg Sterling