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- SODP Dispatch - 18 August 2023
SODP Dispatch - 18 August 2023
10 ways to build a push notifications strategy for publishers, Google News SEO guide 2023 and more tips and news for digital publishers
State of Digital Publishing
August 18, 2023
Happy Friday!
Today, let’s discuss AI in publishing – one of the most divisive subjects in digital publishing and journalism over the last few months.
Our managing editor, Andrew Kemp, dedicates his weekly Editor’s Note column to the subject:
After a restful break last week, in which not one odd job around the house was completed (utter bliss!), I’m back at my desk once more, refreshed and reinvigorated.
If you haven’t had a chance yet, I’d recommend checking out last week’s editorial note from SODP’s very own Vahe Arabian, in which he touched upon the company’s evolving strategy.
He provides some insight into what we’ve been up to and highlights the importance of pivoting when it comes to technological developments such as generative AI.
I paused my coverage of AI back in June, becoming exasperated at the industry’s seesawing between hype and disillusionment. I wanted to until sentiment over AI had plateaued and for the time that there was something worth talking about. I think that time has arrived.
As somebody who’s been closely following the media’s adoption of generative AI, it seems clear to me that we’re now beyond questions of whether the industry should use AI and are instead faced with questions of how and where it can, should and will be used.
Some media leaders have advocated against falling prey to mistakes of the past, when technological developments caught the media sector by surprise, while others tout its role in building sales.
While I can appreciate generative AI’s business potential, industry leaders seem so caught up in potential outcomes that they’ve forgotten the need for editorial buy-in.
FROM STATE OF DIGITAL PUBLISHING
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
10 WAYS TO BUILD A PUSH NOTIFICATION STRATEGY FOR PUBLISHERS
Push notifications are brief, concise messages that pop up on mobile devices or desktop screens, even when the user isn’t actively on the sender’s website or app. They’re widely used across several sectors, including eCommerce, SaaS, health, education and more.
For instance, eCommerce push notifications might inform users about a flash sale or a price drop for an item in the wishlist. Similarly, SaaS products might send alerts about a new feature release or a change in service status via push messages.
The content industry, particularly publication platforms and apps, has also made good use of this approach. Publishers routinely send push notifications to update users about the latest articles, breaking news, exclusive content and any significant updates.
Let’s take a closer look at how push notifications can help publishers.
SEO
GOOGLE NEWS SEO GUIDE 2023: BEST PRACTICES FOR NEWS PUBLISHERS
Google News should be the focus of any digital media and content publisher, given the traffic it drives to news sites every month.
It’s been some years since Google last provided a news traffic analysis, but in 2020 it said it sent “Google users to news sites 24 billion times” every month. This number is a clear indication that publishers need to be trying to rank higher. In fact, the search giant cited Deloitte as valuing this traffic for large publishers at $0.04-0.07 per click.
Given the multitude of changes since its launch in 2002, however, ranking in Google News search results requires a greater degree of expertise and finesse than ever before. For publishers, that means staying abreast of, and applying, the most up-to-date search engine optimization (SEO) practices.
Read on to learn more about Google News SEO best practices and why they need to be at the forefront of every editorial strategy.
RECOMMENDED NEWSLETTERS
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TOOLS AND RESOURCES
Optimizing your News Article Layout is an important task especially for big publishers. Check out this step-by-step SEO guide for each of the news article elements from John Shehata. Learn more
Check out the findings of the AI in the News: Reshaping the Information Ecosystem? report. Learn more
BITE-SIZED INDUSTRY NEWS
AI
The Associated Press released guidelines around generative AI to its journalists as it and other news organizations look at ways to use the technology in news gathering. Read more
SEARCH
Google adds AI-powered article summaries for free articles, not paywalled ones, to its Search Generative Experience and says publishers can block the feature. Read more
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT
Substack now lets you follow writers, offering a way for you to keep tabs on what a writer is doing without having to subscribe to their newsletter. Read more
WORDPRESS
group.one, a European cloud hosting and digital marketing services provider, has acquired the BackWPup, Adminimize, and Search & Replace plugins from Inpsyde. Read more
ADTECH
InMobi has announced the acquisition of Quantcast Choice, a consent management platform designed to help publishers align with privacy regulations. Read more
ANALYTICS
Google released a GA4 Reports Builder add-on for Google Sheets. Read more