SODP Dispatch - 11 April 2024

Labrador CMS review for 2024, supply side platforms explained, publisher SEO resources + more

Hello, SODP readers!

In today’s issue:

  • From SODP: Labrador CMS review + supply side platforms explained

  • Tip of the week: SEO in the age of SGE

  • Resources: Digital Advertising Futures report + publisher SEO resources

  • News: Magazines make surprise comeback as marketing tool, Puck acquires Substack newsletter Artelligence, the launch of Gazetteer San Francisco + more

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FROM STATE OF DIGITAL PUBLISHING

Sponsored
Labrador CMS Review for 2024

By Kamalpreet Singh

Labrador CMS review

Success in news publishing often boils down to scale and speed. Publishers need to push out large volumes of content and do it fast. However, they often find themselves hamstrung by the shortcomings of legacy content management systems that lack the specialized capabilities required by news publishers.

This has opened up a space for specialized CMS platforms dedicated to news publishing that not only provide advanced capabilities to help news publishers meet the demands of the news cycle, but also help them manage costs.

Labrador CMS is one such solution that has been making waves of late. It boasts of an impressive roster of clients that includes massive breaking news operations like national broadcaster tv2.no and breaking news site dagbladet.no with 100 million weekly pageviews each to smaller but well-known brands like Elle Sweden and Elle Norway and is constantly onboarding new names to this list.

We reviewed Labrador CMS and are sharing our findings.

What Is a Supply Side Platform (SSP)? A Guide for Publishers

By Pratik Dholakiya

SSP

Of all the online advertising tools and technologies that have emerged, supply-side platforms (SSPs) arguably remain some of the most important for digital publishers.

SSPs, along with demand-side platforms (DSPs) and ad exchanges, have transformed the advertising industry — making it more automated, efficient and data-driven. These key programmatic advertising components have allowed publishers to move from manually selling ad impressions to advertisers to real-time auctions.

Such advancements have seen programmatic display ad spend soar over the last decade, from $3.9 billion in 2012 to an estimated $147.1 billion in 2021. Global programmatic ad spend as a whole, meanwhile, is projected to climb from $418.4 billion in 2021 to $493 billion in 2022.

Join us as we explore what an SSP is, understand how it works, its benefits and drawbacks as well as how it differs from a DSP.

BITE-SIZED ADVICE

By Vahe Arabian

🔍 SEO in the age of SGE

Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is about to revolutionize SEO as we know it.

As seasoned SEOs and digital publishing professionals, we need to be proactive in understanding and adapting to this game-changing development.

SGE is Google's innovative AI designed to provide users with instant, AI-generated snapshots of essential information directly on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

While this promises to enhance user experience, it poses significant challenges for organic traffic and SEO initiatives.

Here are some useful findings to start navigating this new landscape:

1️⃣ Understanding SGE: SGE presents 91.4% AI-generated responses at the top of SERPs, potentially overshadowing traditional organic listings. This means a potential drop in organic traffic, particularly for top-ranking keywords.

2️⃣ Optimizing for SGE: While optimizing for SGE boxes may seem daunting, prioritizing middle-and bottom-funnel content can increase visibility and conversion rates. Focus on product pages and branded content to maintain relevance, qualify traffic, and reduce the need to generate sequential queries.

3️⃣ Strategic Approach: Instead of solely relying on keyword research, focus on audience research and customer discussions to ideate content. Prioritize content creation that establishes topical authority and adheres to E-E-A-T principles (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).

4️⃣ Enhanced Reporting: With changes in organic traffic metrics due to SGE, shifting towards revenue-based reporting is crucial. Ensure your SEO strategy aligns with business objectives and emphasizes tangible outcomes.

Remember, SEO is just one piece of the SGE puzzle. Collaboration between SEO and PPC teams can maximize visibility and drive traffic from multiple channels.

As we navigate this significant change in SEO, let's embrace the challenge and leverage it as an opportunity for growth. We can adapt, innovate, and thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

🔗 For further reading, refer to this SGE research study by Authoritas.

TOOLS & RESOURCES

📈 Digital Advertising Futures 2024 H1 Report

Digital advertising investment is set to accelerate in 2024 as concerns over the global economy starts to ease, the latest instalment of the FIPP Global Advertising Futures report shows.
See more ▸

🔎  Publisher SEO Resources

Here is a list of great industry contributors that can greatly aid in navigating your publisher's SEO journey.
See more ▸

WHAT WE ARE READING

How local US news outlets in the total solar eclipse's path are covering the event, using it as an opportunity to broaden their appeal beyond current audiences  Search Engine Land

The range in stories makes the eclipse, as a news event, an opportunity for local news outlets. It’s an audience engagement opportunity, to serve current audiences and broaden appeal; it’s a business and marketing opportunity, to partner with community businesses and organizations on events and special products; it’s an opportunity for experimentation and innovation in editorial and business projects.
Read more ▸

Byron Perry launches Gazetteer San Francisco Gazetteer San Francisco

The publication will produce great local journalism, publish it on a totally paywalled website, and distribute it directly to paid subscribers – via email and text message. “We have no social media presence, and we don’t care about search engine optimization.”
Read more ▸

Print revival: Magazines make surprise comeback as marketing tool | Axios

Nylon, the 25-year-old fashion outlet, will release its first physical magazine this month since stopping print editions and becoming a digital-only publication in 2017. The move is part of a larger revival of print as a marketing tool and potential advertising opportunity amid an otherwise grim digital ad outlook for publishers.
Read more ▸

Google improves website interactivity metric by collaborating with consent management platforms | Search Engine Journal

Google has announced improvements to its Interaction to Next Paint (INP) metric for websites using popular consent management platforms (CMPs). Google made this possible by working directly with platforms like OneTrust, Complianz, and Axeptio.
Read more ▸

Puck acquires Artelligence, a Substack newsletter about the global art market with 32K free and paid subscribers | Axios

It's the first time Puck has acquired an existing newsletter instead of hiring an author to build a new one. The newsletter — which boasts 32,000 free and paid subscribers, according to Substack — will be integrated and rebranded within Puck's portfolio, Kelly says. Puck plans to rename the newsletter "Wall Power."
Read more ▸