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

Why brands like Gap Inc. and Staples are inviting their employees to be creators

Companies are scrambling for creators. Turns out they already employ them.

GIF of a robot reading a newspaper, symbolizing deep learning’s role in analyzing data and transforming advertising strategies

Media Briefing: The case for and against markdown for AI bots

Markdown is becoming publishers’ latest AI optimization tactic, raising questions about the scraping tradeoff.

People Inc. CEO: We’re not turning off Google crawlers yet

People Inc. won’t cut off Google’s AI crawlers yet, citing its continued dependence on Google search traffic even as referrals decline.