Google search dominance has businesses paying for their brand name

Google controls many of the ways businesses access customers online in the US, making it almost impossible to run a company without buying advertising from the internet giant.

As politicians increase scrutiny of large technology companies, Google’s lock on these digital relationships is becoming a potential liability, not just a lucrative advantage praised each quarter by Wall Street analysts.

Presidential candidate and Senator Elizabeth Warren outlined a proposal Friday for breaking up Alphabet’s Google — and Facebook and Amazon.com — because they have “too much power” and have “bulldozed competition”.

While consumers pay nothing for most Google services, some businesses say they often can’t avoid giving more money to the company because the internet giant is the main source of answers when Americans go online to get information. Google has more than 81 per cent of the mobile search market, according to research firm NetMarketShare.