The Weekly Bulletin | February 13, 2024

Hi SODP community,

Let’s recap on what’s been happening, the new content, industry updates, tips, and more.

TIP OF THE WEEK

In November of the previous year, Google announced to its AdSense publishers a change in the payment structure for the Google Ads displayed on their websites. Recently, a significant number of AdSense publishers have observed that Google has fully transitioned to this updated payment scheme. However, it's important to mention that the switch from CPC (Cost Per Click) to CPM (Cost Per Mille/Thousand Impressions) bidding has not been universally applied to all accounts.

Several elements influence the CPM rates in Adsense, including the specificity of the content, the positioning of ads, the characteristics of the audience, the volume of site visits, and the time of year. Some of the ways to boost Adsense CPM rates – one can focus on:

• increasing site traffic,

• refining the location of advertisements,

• trying out various advertisement styles,

• producing content of superior quality, and

• focusing on topic clusters that attract higher earnings.

And finally, if you are considering to compare ad networks, ensure you check their minimum traffic requirements and service differentiation. Partnering with a network that specializes in your niche to fulfill ad fill rate can make all the difference.

SODP POSTS

SPONSORED

We are excited to introduce our WordPress seven-part teardown series, where we analyze websites of prominent publishers, identifying their best practices and audience engagement opportunities.

We have published the first three episodes. Watch the videos on our YouTube channel or listen to the episodes as a podcast.

EPISODE 1: WIRED’s Affiliate Wonders: Can It Continue Its Evergreen Content & Monetization Streak

We discuss how WIRED has added different layers of evergreen content types and conversion avenues without compromising its core audience. WIRED’s approach to content monetization and audience engagement is a valuable example for publishers looking to grow and succeed in the digital landscape.

EPISODE 2: What Will TechCrunch’s Most Viable Growth Approach Be Moving Forward?

In this episode, we review TechCrunch, focusing on its subscription product and revenue streams. We discuss the recent news of TechCrunch shutting down its subscription offering and explore the reasons behind this decision. We also analyze TechCrunch’s website design, user experience, and SEO issues.

EPISODE 3: VIBE.com: Hitting the Right Note with Streamlined Content Creation?

VIBE.com, founded in the 2000s by Quincy Jones and David Salzman, focuses on hip hop, music, and celebrity news. In this episode, we discuss the importance of optimizing image size and page speed for an image-heavy site like VIBE.com.

We note VIBE’s strategy of curating content and creating a network of sites within the Penske Media Corporation. This approach allows VIBE to cover a specific niche within the music and entertainment industry, attracting a dedicated audience.

JOB BOARD

➡️ Val Morgan Digital is looking for a product marketing manager (Hybrid, Sydney, Australia). SEE MORE

➡️ Gannett's Ohio Region is seeking a dynamic and transformational leader to serve as editor of the Akron Beacon Journal (Hybrid, Akron, OH, US). SEE MORE

COMMUNITY BUZZ

Industry News

➡️ Columbia Journalism Review published a report on the use of AI in news organizations, based on 170 interviews with employees at 35 publishers in the US, UK, and Germany and international experts. READ MORE

➡️ Google has removed links to page caches from its search results page, the company’s search liaison Danny Sullivan has confirmed. READ MORE

Social Media Discussions

➡️ Matthew Karolian on LinkedIn:

The New York Times has rolled out updated author pages for their journalists, and while they say this change was for readers, I heavily suspect that it is a strong SEO play.

https://lnkd.in/efPgHKMr

I took a highlighter to the description through Google's EEAT lens.

READ THE FULL POST

These are the highlights for the last week.

Until next!

Vahe Arabian and the editorial team at SODP