New EU Regulations Compel More Transparency for Rankings from Search Engines, Marketplaces, Etc

The EU wants to make it easier for non-SEO professionals, especially small businesses, to understand how search rankings work.  That effort is embodied in regulatory guidelines released yesterday in Europe. They ask search engines, “online intermediation services” (e.g., marketplaces) and travel sites to disclose ranking factors and update them each time a meaningful algorithmic change takes place. This extends to the influence of payments and ads on organic rankings.

Will be interesting to see see how these platforms respond.