8 seats left:

Join us Dec. 1-3 in New Orleans for the Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit

SECURE YOUR SEAT

Stat Snapshot: Google’s Algo Change Boosts Publishers

It turns out Google’s recent algorithm change has helped many publishers. Outbrain, the content recommendation service with nearly 100 publishers like USA Today and Boston.com, said its data shows national publishers received a 53 percent increase in traffic and local sites got an additional 41 percent. The information is another piece to the puzzle of what Google’s “Farmer” algorithm change means to publishers. At the time it undertook the shift, Google said it was singling out “content farms.” Many publishers quickly applauded the move.

The data underscores how much publishers depend on Google due to its stranglehold on search. Most publishers see well over 50 percent of their traffic from Google.

More in Media

Job cuts hit 22-year October high as retail layoffs from Amazon to Target mount ahead of holidays

Employers slashed 153,074 jobs last month, up 175% from a year earlier, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Publishers swap traffic angst for strategy in Q3 earnings

There’s a tone shift in publishers’ Q3 earnings: focus on video, direct audiences and AI licensing to offset search-driven ad revenue declines.

Daily Mail says Google AI Overviews have killed click-throughs

Daily Mail’s clickthroughs drop 80–90% when Google AI Overviews appear, but traffic impact remains minimal due to strong direct traffic.