Moneysupermarket blames Google update for slow trade

Moneysupermarket has become one of the first companies to blame recent changes to Google’s search algorithm for a negative impact on its bottom line.

Google

The price comparison site made the claim in a trading update issue today (11 June) where it forecast revenues of £112m for the six month period to 30 June.

However, it also reported that group trading was slower in the second quarter of the year, compared to the opening one, due to a “substantially” reduced number of visitors to its insurance website.

This dip in numbers followed changes to Google’s natural search algorithm – announced in April this year – which decreased the ranking of sites the search giant believed to violate its “quality guidelines”.

Moneysupermarket’s trading update reads: “As has happened in the past, now the algorithm changes have settled down we are working on regaining our positions in natural search in insurance”.

Google is poised to fully implement one of the most comprehensive changes to the way brands gain paid search placements with the full roll out of Enhanced Campaigns on 22 July.

 

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