It suggests we shouldn't have worked to make Search better: Google on latest lawsuit

Google said local results in Search drive more than 4 billion direct connections for businesses every month. Redesigning it this way would harm the quality of search results and it would come at the expense of businesses like retailers, restaurants, repair shops, airlines and hotels whose listings in Google help them get discovered and connect directly with customers.

A bipartisan coalition of 38 attorneys general on Thursday sued Google accusing the search giant of illegally maintaining monopoly power over general search engines and related advertising markets, hurting competition and consumers.

Responding to the issues raised in the latest lawsuit that mainly targets the design of Google Search, the company said that Search is designed to provide users with the most relevant results and if they don't like the results, they have numerous alternatives including Amazon, Expedia, Tripadvisor and others just a click away.

"The issues raised in today's lawsuit suggests we shouldn't have worked to make Search better and that we should, in fact, be less useful to you. When you search for local products and services, we show information that helps you connect with businesses directly and helps them reach more customers. This lawsuit demands changes to the design of Google Search, requiring us to prominently feature online middlemen in place of direct connections to businesses."

Google said local results in Search drive more than 4 billion direct connections for businesses every month. Redesigning it this way would harm the quality of search results and it would come at the expense of businesses like retailers, restaurants, repair shops, airlines and hotels whose listings in Google help them get discovered and connect directly with customers.

Further, the search giant said it drives billions of visits to sites across the web every day, adding that the volume of traffic it sends to non-Google sites has increased every year since Search was created.

"The claims being made have been closely examined and rejected by regulators and courts around the world, including the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, competition authorities in Brazil, Canada and Taiwan, and courts in the United Kingdom and Germany, who all agreed that our changes are designed to improve your search results," Google wrote in a blog post.

The Alphabet Inc-owned company said that scrutiny of big companies is important and it is prepared to answer questions and work through the issues.