Google prepares search overhaul in Europe, will boost rival services to satisfy EU rules

Rumor mill: Alphabet's Google is preparing a significant test of how it displays online search results across Europe, a move aimed at defusing a widening conflict with EU regulators over antitrust concerns. People familiar with the plan told Reuters that the company will soon begin experimenting with formats designed to give rival services greater automatic visibility in categories such as hotels, flights, and restaurants.

The initiative is intended to demonstrate compliance with the European Union's Digital Markets Act, a sweeping set of competition rules that took effect last year. Regulators in Brussels allege that Google's search engine gives undue prominence to its own travel and hospitality services, limiting user exposure to competing vertical search platforms specializing in bookings and price comparisons.

According to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, Google's upcoming trial will, by default, display top-ranked vertical search engines for relevant queries. These ...