[Dog Gone]

What this IS, as Pravious noted, is business fraud, and it is entirely appropriate to call them on it.

It's not fraud. That would be swindling you by deception. As long as the Google search engine is free and makes no warranties as to the completeness of its search results, it can direct you anyplace it chooses.

It's certainly fair to point out that the search results are being manipulated and not objective, but there's no fraud.

If I tell you that I'm a good-looking hunk of beefcake, I've lied, but I've not defrauded you.

[tarheelswamprat]

It's certainly fair to point out that the search results are being manipulated and not objective, but there's no fraud.

Your statement is incorrect. The term "fraud" has commonly accepted meanings other than the legal one.

From Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry: 1 a: deceit, trickery; specifically : intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right b: an act of deceiving or misrepresenting : trick

2 a: a person who is not what he or she pretends to be : impostor; also : one who defrauds : cheat b: one that is not what it seems or is represented to be

[Swordmaker]

It's not fraud. That would be swindling you by deception. As long as the Google search engine is free and makes no warranties as to the completeness of its search results, it can direct you anyplace it chooses.

I would disagree. Google sells its search services to other search services, websites, and businesses. Not providing searches done with due diligence to them, if they search for these terms, would definitely be fraud. If I were such a customer, I would sue.