Türkiye said on Tuesday that it could intervene if necessary amid growing concerns over major changes Google has made this year to its search algorithm, which has proven devastating to some websites.
"We are monitoring this issue closely with Google Türkiye, and we will address it with the Competition Authority (RK) if needed," Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu told a parliamentary hearing.
Many online businesses have been left considering layoffs and even site closures after Google's several massive upgrades caused catastrophic drops in traffic.
Local media has been reporting that the visibility of some independent publishers on Google News and Discover platforms has declined dramatically. That severely hit revenues as it reportedly caused losses of up to 80% in user traffic for some websites.
Underpinning the frustration is the lack of clarity over how Google ranks results.
The U.S. firm is notoriously secretive about its algorithms – so much so that an entire industry known as "search engine optimization" has grown up trying to game the algorithm to get more clicks.
The updates sent SEO experts into a tailspin, desperately trying to unpack why some sites were boosted and others were getting downranked.
On Saturday, Uraloğlu revealed that discussions had taken place with Google regarding the matter and emphasized authorities would take steps if any unfairness is detected.
"The adjustment was made by the global team, not Google Türkiye. Representatives from Google Türkiye informed us that they were unaware of this adjustment," Uraloğlu told private broadcaster CNN Türk.
"We have reached out again and are awaiting a response. Depending on the feedback, we may take action with the Competition Authority. Should we detect any unfair practices, steps will be taken in partnership with the BTK (Information Technologies and Communications Authority) and the Competition Authority."
Some news websites have complained their articles were now being routinely outranked and that referrals from Google had plummeted since the update, warning that cutbacks could be inevitable.
Google suggested the updates sought to improve the quality of search results by showing more useful content and less content that was made for search engines.
