Google limits free access to news
Over the last week we have seen lots of articles about news items appearing on Google from 'subscription' services and about Google potentially using these news items to gain additional advertising revenues. It would seem that the 'news industry' are not happy about news items appearing in search results that would normally only be available by subscribing to the 'website'.
Today Google have announced their response to this argument by allowing publishers to set a limit on the number of articles individuals are allowed to view before they are re-directed to a sign up / subscription form.
The product manager of Google's 'First Click Free' service Josh Cohen recently posted a blog saying "We've updated the programme so that publishers can limit users to no more than five pages per day without registering or subscribing"
This whole situation has been driven by the industry as they are concerned about the 42% slump in ad revenues. They are all looking for new ways to generate income and the natural way seems to use the massive popularity of the Internet to restrict access to certain titles with a registration / subscription service.
Newscorp in the UK who own the best selling publications like the Sun Newspaper and The Times are considering making all of its online content available only as paid for content.
What amazes us is that these publications have relied on the popularity of search and the huge Google user base as a way of increasing their own 'followers'. Making content paid for is just going to take them back out of the 'race' as it will leave the way open for publications to offer the same news stories and similar content to searchers for FREE.
Let's face it I like to read articles in the Times Online everyday. Sometimes it is good and useful other days it is just waffle and of little interest. So how would I feel about paying to see whether there is anything of interest to me.
With the growth of Social Media networks like Twitter the way breaking news and events is shared has already changed dramatically and in some cases is not only faster than Google's indexing of breaking news, it offers better alternatives and feedback about news items.
It will be very interesting to follow this story and monitor the results.
You can't 'use' Google for ranking when you want and then get uptight about items appearing that you would rather make money on. If you don't want it in the search results there are many ways to stop it appearing. What they seem to want to do is get it ranking so people click and then hit them with a 'now you have to pay' message.
It should be one or the other, ranked or not ranked.
Article by Paul Lopez
SEO Manager and Co-Director of Artemis Internet Marketing
Today Google have announced their response to this argument by allowing publishers to set a limit on the number of articles individuals are allowed to view before they are re-directed to a sign up / subscription form.
The product manager of Google's 'First Click Free' service Josh Cohen recently posted a blog saying "We've updated the programme so that publishers can limit users to no more than five pages per day without registering or subscribing"
This whole situation has been driven by the industry as they are concerned about the 42% slump in ad revenues. They are all looking for new ways to generate income and the natural way seems to use the massive popularity of the Internet to restrict access to certain titles with a registration / subscription service.
Newscorp in the UK who own the best selling publications like the Sun Newspaper and The Times are considering making all of its online content available only as paid for content.
What amazes us is that these publications have relied on the popularity of search and the huge Google user base as a way of increasing their own 'followers'. Making content paid for is just going to take them back out of the 'race' as it will leave the way open for publications to offer the same news stories and similar content to searchers for FREE.
Let's face it I like to read articles in the Times Online everyday. Sometimes it is good and useful other days it is just waffle and of little interest. So how would I feel about paying to see whether there is anything of interest to me.
With the growth of Social Media networks like Twitter the way breaking news and events is shared has already changed dramatically and in some cases is not only faster than Google's indexing of breaking news, it offers better alternatives and feedback about news items.
It will be very interesting to follow this story and monitor the results.
You can't 'use' Google for ranking when you want and then get uptight about items appearing that you would rather make money on. If you don't want it in the search results there are many ways to stop it appearing. What they seem to want to do is get it ranking so people click and then hit them with a 'now you have to pay' message.
It should be one or the other, ranked or not ranked.
Article by Paul Lopez
SEO Manager and Co-Director of Artemis Internet Marketing
posted by PJ at
13:20
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