Is Competition Only One Click Away? The Digital Markets Act Impact on Google Maps
Abstract
This paper studies the impact of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) on user search behavior and traffic to online mapping services, focusing on recent changes to Google’s search results page. In January 2024, Google altered the display of location-based queries for EU users by removing clickable maps and direct links to Google Maps. We exploit this policy-induced change and implement a difference-in-differences (DiD) design comparing EU and non-EU countries to assess how the removal of Google’s self-preferencing shaped search volumes and traffic patterns. Search queries for \texttt{maps} and \texttt{google maps} increased by more than 21\%. While the former may reflect broader interest in mapping services, the latter directly signals intent to use Google Maps. Yet this surge in searches primarily redirected users back to Google Maps. Traffic data reveal no significant change in overall visits to \texttt{www.google.com/maps }, on desktop or mobile. Instead, we observe shifts in the channels through which users access the service and in session duration. No corresponding increase in search activity or traffic is observed for \texttt{bing maps}, nor for other competing mapping services. These findings indicate that the DMA had weak competitive effects, highlighting Google Maps’ dominance in a market where alternatives remain limited.
About this workshop
The Digital Regulation workshop is an online seminar series focused on digital activities and their regulation.
This working group is developing a joint approach in order to establish a reasoned position on digital regulation in the context of current European (and American) initiatives. In particular, it is considering how to implement responsible governance while allowing for innovation. The issue of the effectiveness of public action and how it relates to competitiveness constraints is also central.
More information can be found on the website of the Chair Governance and Regulation.