Google, These Aren’t Really The Best Answers For Users. They Are The Best Answers For You.

Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal ran an article pointing out how Google is increasingly favoring its own properties, in search results over natural results to outside sites which previously commanded the top spots. This practice is especially noticeable with Google Places and local results, but there are other examples as well from product and mortgage search to health search. We've seen these spats before, particularly between Google and Yelp . Citysearch and Tripadvisor are also taking a traffic hit, it seems. Google responded yesterday with a post on its public policy blog titled "Local Search: It's all about the best answers for users." Yeah, right. Don't kid yourself. It's all about what is best for Google. How else do you explain the preponderance of Google Places listings in local search results for queries such as <a href="http://www.google.com/search?sclient=psy&hl=en&site=webhp&source=hp&q=ny+chiropractor&btnG=Google+Search" (see screenshot) or "NYC spa" ? In each case the top 7 links after the paid ads are businesses which just happen to have a Google Places page.