The internet is constantly evolving but one thing does not seem likely to change anytime soon and that is Google’s power. Should Google’s dominance of online search be a cause for concern?

Most people accept that monopolies are not a good thing. Hence the creation of the UK’s Competition Commission that replaced the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in 1999. Hey! Wait a minute I hear you say; Google doesn’t have a monopoly. What about Bing and the other search engines? Let’s get real here please. Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ll Bing it”? Of course not. Okay, technically Google is not a monopoly but it is certainly the overwhelming internet force, to the point that it is shaping the internet under the premise that it is for our own good.

To improve user experience is the mantra coming down from Google’s Mt Sinai. That goal is pursued through dictats issued by Google’s High Priest, Matt Cutts. Thou shalt not… If you do we will push you down into the depths of the search results pages – digital hell! A dark pit from which your business might never recover.

Some online businesses have already felt the weight of Google’s algorithmic sword on their necks. Make no mistake Google has the power to move share prices. A lot of revenue from a successful online business can disappear overnight if Google decides that it is not complying with one of its many rules and drops it down the rankings.

Is it right that commercial sites that rely on search results for the majority of their traffic should be running scared of a search engine? have a read of Matt’s blog and see what you think?