Google Traffic To News Publishers Is Consistent, But It Isn’t Conventional Search

Google remains a significant source of traffic to news publishers, even though the traffic source is now from features such as Discover and not from conventional search.

Google remains a reliable source of traffic for news media even as patterns within the search results change. According to the latest data from Chartbeat, which covers 565 U.S. and UK news publishers:

• Search traffic was responsible for 19% of total site visits in July, and little has changed since the beginning of 2019.
• Google is the dominant player in 96% of the search-driven recommendations to publishers.

Changing Landscape for Google Search Referrals

However, it is important to keep in mind that “Search” now encompasses more than just traditional search engine results webpages (SERPs). Google Discover, an AI-powered content feed that is tailored to users’ desires, has become the principal driver for Google’s links to news sites.

This change suggests that although the volume of searches on Google has not decreased but the manner in which users locate content on Google is changing. Google Discover is reshaping referral patterns and is increasingly replacing traditional search queries with personalised content discovery.

“Search” here includes Google Discover, which is not a typical search, as Discover is now the main driving force behind Google search engine referrals.

Publishers should be aware that their dependence on Google is growing, but it is also becoming more complicated. Knowing and adjusting to the Google Discover format and user preferences is vital to ensure that your website is visible and engaging.

Direct Traffic Declines

Publishers’ efforts to build an enduring “type-in” audience, where users type in the URL of their homepage, have largely failed. Direct traffic to the homepages of publishers, as well as landing pages, has dipped from a peak in the pandemic era of 16.3% to 11.5%.

This is due to broader difficulties in establishing brand loyalty and frequent visitors without intermediaries. This is why news sites are more and more dependent on the Google ecosystem as well as content aggregators to increase traffic.

Social media traffic has experienced an extreme decline, reducing the range of traffic sources. The report shows dramatic decreases across all major platforms:

• The number of Facebook referrals is down by 50% since 2019, despite recent small increases.
• X (formerly Twitter) traffic has decreased by 75% in comparison to the year 2019.
• Reddit is the only social platform that has experienced an increase of 220% in traffic from referrals since 2019. This increase can be attributed to the increased Google visibility, as well as an upcoming AI learning partnership. However, even Reddit’s rise is not enough to surpass the totality that is a result of Facebook as well as X referrals.

Personal Take

The data provided by PressGazette shows a clear pattern that Google is still the backbone of publisher traffic, steadily increasing visits with its constantly evolving products, such as Google Discover. In the meantime, social and direct referrals are declining, which raises concerns about the diversity of traffic sources for publishers and dependence on major technology platforms.

You can read the full report as reported by Press Gazette here.