On 23 July 2026, the European Commission fined Google a total of €890 million for breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Two practices are at stake: self-preferencing on Google Search, and restrictions imposed on developers on Google Play. Here is what this decision actually changes for Belgian businesses selling online.
Two fines, two distinct practices
The Commission split the sanction into two parts. €460 million for favouring its own services, Google Shopping chief among them, in search results, at the expense of rival price comparison sites. €430 million for restricting app developers' ability to inform users about alternative, often cheaper, purchase channels outside Google Play. Google has announced it will appeal both decisions before the EU General Court.
The principle behind the DMA: never favour yourself
The Digital Markets Act requires "gatekeepers" (Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple) not to treat their own services more favourably than those of their competitors. In case of repeated infringement, the fine can rise to 10% of the offending company's global annual turnover. That level of risk is pushing digital giants to review their practices across the whole EU, Belgium included.
What it changes for a Belgian business selling online
Two concrete effects are worth tracking. First, visibility: if Google has to reduce the advantage given to its own comparison tools, the fight for organic positions and Google Shopping feeds remains open, and deserves close monitoring in the months ahead rather than being taken for granted. Second, purchase channels: businesses selling through a mobile app could gain more room to steer customers toward direct payment outside Google Play, reducing the platform's commission. Getting that compliance right, technically and legally, still matters.
A case far from closed
Google's appeal before the EU courts could take years, and the Commission is running other investigations into the group's advertising ecosystem. For a Belgian business, the right move is not to wait for a final ruling, it may be a long time coming, but to gradually diversify acquisition channels and understand your options on payment, rather than depending on a single player.
The AI view, people first
Tracking how your Google rankings evolve, spotting a shift in your Shopping feed, or following traffic split across paid channels: this kind of monitoring work, AI can largely take on, with automated alerts and continuously updated dashboards. But deciding whether to reallocate ad budget to Meta or LinkedIn, or choosing the right technical setup for an alternative in-app payment, remains a strategic call. AI executes. Expertise decides, and watches.
This week's to-do
Check how much of your traffic and sales depend on a single Google channel (Search, Shopping, Play). List your diversification options: Meta, LinkedIn or TikTok for acquisition, direct payment for an app. If you distribute a mobile app, look into your rights to inform users about alternative purchase channels.
Diversifying your acquisition channels without losing performance is the role of Vistalaro Reach: Meta, LinkedIn, Google, TikTok and Amazon campaigns run as one coherent system, not isolated silos. If your business distributes an app or an online store, Vistalaro Build assesses with you the technical implications of an alternative payment channel, so you are no longer dependent on a single point of failure.