Bad Google Search Results Are Costing Consumers up to $616

With many consumers struggling financially and the courts allowing Google’s monopolistic practices to continue largely unchecked, WalletHub conducted a case study highlighting the impact on Americans. WalletHub analyzed how the top credit card recommended by each of the websites on the first page of Google search results for “best 0 APR credit cards” compares to the best 0% credit card on the market.

Here’s what WalletHub’s research revealed:

• $341: Average cost of trusting the top recommendations from the websites Google ranks on the first page of search results.
• $266: Average cost of following biased recommendations from credit card companies on the first page of search results.
• $568: Cost of following the top-ranking Reddit page’s recommendations.
• $616: Cost of following the worst option on the first page of Google results.
• 37: WalletHub’s ranking despite:
  • Actually recommending the best 0% credit card on the market.
  • Evaluating more than 1,500 cards - more than any other site.
  • Not letting advertiser status affect editors’ picks.
  • Saving people $108 - $616 compared to the page 1 sites’ top picks.

You can find more details in the infographic below, followed by commentary from WalletHub’s CEO.

“Google results have gone so far downhill, they’re practically underwater, and it’s costing people a lot of time and money - especially those who mistakenly believe the top results are still the best results.

Just put yourself in the shoes of someone searching for the ‘best 0% APR credit cards’ in the hopes of making a big-ticket emergency expense more affordable. If you search on Google and apply for the top card recommended by the sites listed on the first page, you could end up spending over $600 more than necessary. With household budgets stretched as thin as they are right now, that’s simply unacceptable. Most people don’t have an extra $600 to throw around, so the next time you come up short, you might want to blame Google.

A lot of people assume Google’s incentives are aligned with their own, but that’s just not true anymore. Google wants to maximize profits, regardless of the impact on users. Individual searchers need to take a similarly self-centered approach, by not taking Google’s rankings as a value judgment and doing the research to maximize their own savings. Finding specific sources you trust is a big part of this, as is doing a bit more than simply picking the first product recommended by the first search result you see.

It’s disappointing, but you simply can’t count on Google anymore.”

- Odysseas Papadimitriou, WalletHub CEO