Abstract

In recent years, a number of digital news media outlets have begun to include paid links in their content. This study seeks to identify and analyse this content whose sole purpose is to improve the website authority of the advertisers and their search engine rankings. To do so, it employs two basic methodologies: first, it undertakes a systematic review of off-page SEO practices, the digital press and native advertising; and, second, it reports a case study based on the identification and analysis of 150 news items that contain specially commissioned links resulting from a commercial transaction. The study provides evidence of a new revenue stream for the digital news media, one that is not clearly disclosed and which is based on the sale of links. The article includes a discussion of the case study findings, and presents future guidelines for the use of paid links based on the emerging concept of ‘native advertising’.

Abstract

In recent years, a number of digital news media outlets have begun to include paid links in their content. This study seeks to identify and analyse this content whose sole purpose is to improve the website authority of the advertisers and their search engine rankings. To do so, it employs two basic methodologies: first, it undertakes a systematic review of off-page SEO practices, the digital press and native advertising; and, second, it reports a case study based on the identification and analysis of 150 news items that contain specially commissioned links resulting from a commercial transaction. The study provides evidence of a new revenue stream for the digital news media, one that is not clearly disclosed and which is based on the sale of links. The article includes a discussion of the case study findings, and presents future guidelines for the use of paid links based on the emerging concept of ‘native advertising’.

Abstract

The constant struggle to attract new readers has led the digital news media to adopt search engine positioning strategies within their newsrooms. Given that readers are increasingly opting to consume their news via search engines, such as Google or Bing, this study explores perceptions and applications of search engine optimization (SEO) in the online news media and identifies the future training needs of journalists in this sector. To do so, 33 semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals representative of three professional profiles: professional journalists, SEO consultants, and academics. Based on the data collected, we created five semantic categories – with 25 subcategories – and we correlated the perceptions of the SEO experts employed by the news media with those of the academics. The results highlight varying degrees of convergence and divergence in perceptions across these three professional profiles. Similarly, the results confirm the sector’s pressing need to attract readers by implementing search engine positioning techniques and, hence, its need to ensure future journalists are well trained in technical SEO, on-page SEO, off-page SEO, in the use of SEO analytics and audit tools, and in the ability to identify search trends so that they have the necessary skills to win the struggle for more readers.

Abstract

The Google News Spain service has been relaunched after 8 years owing to the approval in Congress of the European copyright directive that allows Spanish media to make their own decisions on how to monetize and discover their content. This paper aims to present a review of the challenges and opportunities that the return of Google News Spain represents for professionals in the journalistic sector as well as for academics and scholars of communication, documentation, and web visibility. To this end, an analysis of the operation and new services of Google’s news aggregator is carried out.