The major point of contention
Analysts point out that the main issue lies in the clashing business models, as both Google and Yelp depend on advertising revenue.
Additionally, there is significant concern over how user traffic is funneled to Specialized Vertical Providers (SVPs) like Yelp, Zillow, OpenTable, and Glassdoor.
“The discovery aspect is the primary area of conflict, given that Google has the ability to control and direct the majority of search traffic, whether to sponsored listings, its own properties, or these SVPs, as most user searches for a Point of Interest (POI) begin on Google,” said Neil Shah, partner and co-founder at Counterpoint Research. “For SVPs like Yelp, the expectation is that Google will fairly display results rather than directing traffic to its preferred destinations, which could harm their businesses. Transparency and fairness in this process are what Yelp and other SVPs are seeking.”