Impact of AI on Search Rankings & Subscription Trends for Digital Publishers | Publisher Lab Ep. 56

The Publisher Lab

Join Tyler Bishop and Piper Lofrano in a compelling discussion about AI's impact on digital publishing. They delve into the effects of web crawlers on search rankings and what it means for small publishers. Discover insights from a Reuters Institute study on news sites blocking AI crawlers and the tough choices smaller publishers face: block crawlers or lose traffic. They also tackle Google's push for quality content and Reddit's unique content contributions. Tune in to understand the hurdles small publishers encounter in a landscape ruled by giants. This Week’s Stories: Half of Top News Sites Blocked OpenAI's Crawlers in 2023 - https://www.adweek.com/media/one-half-of-top-news-sites-blocked-openais-crawlers-in-2023-study-finds/ Google: We Want To Reward The Best Content No Matter Site Size - https://www.seroundtable.com/google-big-site-small-site-content-36929.html Exclusive: Reddit in AI content licensing deal with Google - https://www.reuters.com/technology/reddit-ai-content-licensing-deal-with-google-sources-say-2024-02-22/ How Publishers Are Preparing for Google's AI-Enhanced Search - https://www.adweek.com/media/google-sge-search-traffic-publishers-preparing/ The Next Era of Subscriptions: 3 Trends Shaping Publishers' Paid Products - https://www.adweek.com/media/digital-subscriptions-trends-publishers-paid-products/ Check out the Ezoic blog for more great publisher information and the Publisher Lab’s accompanying blog the Publishing Pulse: https://www.ezoic.com/blog Find more episodes and leave podcast feedback and suggestions at https://www.publisherlab.org/ Your comment or question could be featured on a future episode! Check out TheLatest.Ezoic.com! TheLatest.Ezoic.com is a ‘what’s new’ product page to help publishers stay informed about the newest features of Ezoic so that they can use the products to their full advantage and educate potential Ezoic publishers about the products. Chapters: 0:00 - Welcome back to the Publisher Lab 0:25 - Piper returns to the Publisher Lab 0:42 - AI’s impact in digital publishing 2:40 - Blocking AI crawlers & content originality 10:30 - Content creation with AI & value 12:17 - Google’s Search Algorithm Valuing Quality Over Site Size 13:52 - Google & Reddit’s partnership affect on digital publishers 15:00 - Google’s search ranking and publisher concerns 19:34 - Diversifying traffic sources 21:57 - Creating your content with intent and authenticity 25:02 - How publishers are preparing for Google’s SGE 26:12 - Challenges and effectiveness of subscription models 30:06 - Role of generative AI in search experiences 38:01 - Significance of audience-focused content 39:03 - Episode wrap up —————————— Hosted by Tyler Bishop & Piper Lofrano Produced & Edited Manny Ramos