EU set to fine Google over search self-preferencing

The European Commission is expected to issue a decision as early as next week fining Google for favouring its own services in search results under the Digital Markets Act, according to reporting by the Financial Times. It would be the second DMA decision against Google in a matter of weeks, and it puts a formal price on a practice European regulators flagged more than a year ago.

What happened

The Commission has not published the decision yet, so the amount and the exact date are not confirmed. The Financial Times reported on 15 July 2026 that Brussels is preparing to fine Google hundreds of millions of euros across two DMA decisions, one on search self-preferencing and a separate matter on sharing search data with rivals, and that Google could face daily penalties if it fails to comply within 60 days.

The underlying case is not new. In its preliminary findings of 19 March 2025, the Commission set out its view that Google Search treats Alphabet’s own services more favourably than rival offerings, breaching the DMA’s requirement for transparent, fair and non-discriminatory ranking.

Why it matters

Self-preferencing is about where results appear, and that is the ground every multi-location brand competes on. If a regulator forces Google to rank its own shopping, hotel, transport and financial modules the same way it ranks everyone else, the layout of the results page shifts for whole categories at once. A confirmed fine also signals that Google will keep adjusting how it surfaces results in Europe, so brands should expect more ranking volatility across the estate, not less. The Commission’s preliminary findings named the practice directly.

“Alphabet treats its own services, such as shopping, hotel booking, transport, or financial and sports results, more favourably in Google Search results than similar services offered by third parties.”

European Commission

What this means for multi-location brands

For a central marketing team running hundreds or thousands of locations, the response is not to chase each ranking swing but to control the inputs that survive any layout change. Accurate, consistent location data is what keeps a brand eligible across Google’s surfaces however the results page is reshuffled, so keep every address, opening hour and category governed from one local business listing source of truth rather than edited profile by profile. Push those updates through structured channels with the API suite so a regulatory shift at one platform is a configuration change, not a scramble across markets. For teams operating across the bloc, this is one more reason to treat Europe’s largest platforms as regulated infrastructure and plan presence for European multi-location brands around governance rather than one-off fixes.

The bottom line

A DMA fine against Google for search self-preferencing looks close, even if the figure and timing are not yet official. Enterprise brands cannot influence how Brussels rules, but they can make sure their location data stays accurate and centrally governed so they hold their place whichever way Google reshapes the results page next.