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What You Need to Know


The latest NewzDash poll from 100 news publishers and SEO experts offers a brief overview of where SEO for news is going.

The findings highlight new trends, challenges and strategies to stay competitive.

From the growing role of Google Discover to addressing search disruption caused by artificial intelligence, here’s what industry professionals need to know.

Best to take away

Google Discover

Google Discover is a key traffic driver for publishers, but the results are mixed:

  • 52% respondents consider Discover a top priority for 2025.
  • 56% reported an increase in traffic from Discover over the past few months, while 21% seen the falls.

The impact of artificial intelligence

AI-powered features rocking search engine results pages (SERPs):

  • 39% sees Google AI as a threat to traffic, whereas 43% they are still unsure of its impact.
  • Due to changes in artificial intelligence, 32% reported adverse effects on viewability and click-through rates.

Content scraping by AI platforms is also a growing concern:

  • 32% enable scraping, 29% selectively block platforms and 11% block them completely.

Publishers are trying different strategies to protect their content from being copied, including paywalls, structured data and legal rules.

The main challenges

The biggest obstacles for SEO teams include:

  • Calculations: 34% struggle with limited funds for tools and resources.
  • Lack of skills: 24% they cite a lack of advanced SEO expertise within teams.
  • Tools: 17% report a lack of specialized SEO tools for news publishers.
  • Recruitment: 13% they say it’s hard to find qualified SEO talent.

Budget restrictions are particularly significant:

  • 45% they work with less than $1000 per month for SEO tools.
  • 13% they don’t have any budget, they rely on free resources.

Lean teams

Most SEO teams are lean, often working with multiple brands or websites:

Team size:

  • 44% has 2-5 members.
  • 34% having only one person managing everything.
  • Only 11% they have teams of 10+ members.

Work load:

  • Each team member manages an average of 4.5 brands or websites, with a median of 3.

Organizational position:

  • 32% to work closely with the editorial teams, doc 22% they are part of marketing.
  • 19% report to production/engineering teams and only 5% they work as independent SEO teams.

Editorial cooperation

Bridging the gap between SEO and the editorial team remains crucial:

Training:

  • 55% offer only basic SEO training to editorial teams.
  • 27% provide regular workshops, and 14% offer advanced training.

Buy-in:

  • 45% say that editorial teams actively follow SEO recommendations.
  • 52% report a partial buy-in, doc 3% they say editorial teams ignore SEO advice.

Involvement:

  • 64% SEOs are involved in daily editorial operations.
  • 22% focus on major events or marquee content.

Publishers with closely aligned SEO and editorial teams are more likely to succeed in implementing SEO recommendations, especially during high-stakes events like breaking news.

What’s next for 2025?

Looking ahead, SEO news experts focus on:

  • Google Discover: Technical and creative strategies to increase traffic.
  • AI adaptation: Advance search change powered by artificial intelligence.
  • Diversification: Reducing reliance on traditional search traffic.
  • Mutual cooperation: Alignment of editorial, product and SEO efforts.

Who completed the survey?

The participants came from different backgrounds, with different levels of experience and roles:

Experience:

  • 34% they have 1–4 years in news SEO, bringing fresh ideas.
  • 29% have 10+ years, offering deep expertise.
  • 37% range from 5 to 10 years, combining experience with innovation.

Roles:

  • 40% are managers, 31% experts, 18% directors, i 11% VPs or C-suite execs.

Regions:

  • 38% focus on Europe, 31% in North America, i 31% in other regions (Asia, Latin America, Africa or multi-regional markets).

Types of teams:

  • 83% work at home, doc 17% they rely on agencies or freelancers.

In summary

SEO news for 2025 Poll highlights the need for agility and adaptation to challenges such as AI and platform changes.

For news publishers, success in 2025 will come down to solid strategy, collaboration and innovation.


Featured Image: Accogliente Design/Shutterstock



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