How Google is letting foreign finance results mislead US consumers: WalletHub Report
What can go wrong when you show people in the U.S. financial content intended for people in another country?
To highlight the harm to consumers, WalletHub has released a new report illustrating this foreign invasion of U.S. finance searches. (Image: Freepik)
Google seems to have forgotten that people living in the United States have very different financial circumstances from those in the United Kingdom, India and other countries, differing in terms of everything from the currencies used to the products available. We need unique financial information and advice, yet Google insists on showing U.S. consumers foreign results.
What can go wrong when you show people in the U.S. financial content intended for people in another country? Well, time is money, and Americans are no doubt wasting a lot of it exploring search results that don’t actually apply to their situation. Acting on financial advice intended for someone in very different circumstances can also lead to significant losses.
To highlight the harm to consumers, WalletHub has released a new report illustrating this foreign invasion of U.S. finance searches.
Examples of Foreign Sites Misleading U.S. Consumers
Commenting on this, WalletHub CEO Odysseas Papadimitriou says, “The most powerful search engine in the world should be able to differentiate between financial advice meant for people in the United States and content intended for consumers in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India and other countries. We use different currencies, abide by different laws, and have access to different companies and products. The fact that Google is unwilling to fix such obvious issues is concerning. The company seems to be obsessed with revenue and AI rather than helping consumers find the best information.”
Examples of Foreign Sites Receiving U.S. Traffic (monthly clicks)
- ComparetheMarket.com (UK): 210,000
- Uswitch.com (UK): 141,000
- MoneyHelper.org.uk (UK): 122,000
- MoneySuperMarket.com (UK): 121,000
- TripAdvisor.ca (Canada): 106,000
- Airtel.in (India): 104,000
- BajajFinserv.in (India): 74,000
- BankBazaar.com (India): 73,000
- CIBC.com (Canada): 53,000
- CitizensAdvice.org.uk (UK): 41,000
- PostOffice.co.uk (UK): 38,500
- Money.co.uk (UK): 18,000
- Finder.com/uk/ (UK): 13,600
- Paisabazaar.com (India): 13,000
Source: Ahrefs (February 2025)
