Airbnb has claimed in its S-1 filing that Google’s competing travel services, including Google Travel and Google Vacation Rental Ads, have negatively impacted its search rankings, reducing visibility in organic search results. The home-sharing platform warned that this could force it to increase marketing spending, raising customer acquisition costs.
The company, which is preparing for its initial public offering (IPO), stated that changes in search engine algorithms and Google’s promotion of its own travel products have made it harder for Airbnb to appear prominently in search results for travel-related queries. “We believe that our SEO results have been adversely affected,” Airbnb said in the filing.
Airbnb Relies on Unpaid Search Traffic, Warns of Rising Costs
Airbnb explained that it depends heavily on search engine optimization (SEO) to attract users without paid advertising. “SEO involves developing our platform in a way that enables a search engine to rank our platform prominently,” the company stated. However, it acknowledged that algorithm changes are beyond its control and could further hurt its rankings.
The filing warned that if Airbnb’s listings continue to appear less prominently in search results, the company may have to increase paid marketing efforts. This shift could “increase our overall customer acquisition costs and materially adversely affect our business,” the company said.
Google Faces Antitrust Scrutiny Over Search Dominance
The allegations come as Google faces an antitrust lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which accuses the tech giant of maintaining an illegal monopoly in search by suppressing competition. Google has denied the claims, arguing that its services benefit consumers and that it faces strong competition.
Other travel industry executives have also criticized Google’s practices. TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer, a vocal critic, supported the DOJ’s lawsuit, accusing Google of using its “dominance in internet gatekeeping at the expense of other businesses.” Expedia CEO Peter Kern echoed concerns, stating, “We don’t think the marketplace is equitable.”
Shared Board Member Links Airbnb and Alphabet
Despite the tensions, Airbnb and Google’s parent company, Alphabet, share a board member—Ann Mather, who serves on both companies’ boards. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Airbnb’s claims.
Airbnb’s public filing highlights growing tensions between tech platforms and traditional search engines, as companies increasingly compete for visibility in an algorithm-driven digital landscape.
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