Hi SODP community,

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

TIP OF THE WEEK

LinkedIn is becoming the new TikTok for publishers, because it’s where content goes viral now.

In Australia, publishers are seeing a surge in reach through LinkedIn posts, not just from growing followers, but from executives posting direct and authentic content. Recently, Australian CEOs increased their posting by 23 % since 2023, earning four times more impressions than average, and video formats drive 1.4× more engagement than other content types. That shift shows social platforms are no longer just for job posts; they’re real publishing channels.

Social signals (likes, shares, comments) aren’t direct SEO ranking factors, but they drive visibility. These interactions boost brand authority and lead to more traffic, backlinks and credibility which are key elements under Google’s E-A-T model (Expertise-Authoritativeness-Trustworthiness)

Tactics Publishers Should Use

• Executive-led storytelling: Encourage editors, reporters, and executives to post insights in their own voice. A story framed as “Here’s what we learned when…” feels more authentic than corporate announcements.

• Data-backed visuals and carousels: Complex reports or survey findings perform better when broken into short, visual takeaways that readers can swipe through or share.

• Debate-driven polls: Simple, timely polls tied to industry challenges (e.g., “Should publishers build in-house AI tools?”) spark discussions and double comment rates.

• Personal and direct language: LinkedIn engagement studies consistently show that posts using “I” and “you,” alongside personal anecdotes, outperform jargon-heavy, overly polished updates.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Cross-posting TikTok-style clips or memes: Native text, data-led infographics, and professional video formats perform far better than entertainment-first content repurposed from other platforms.

2. Over-branding: A feed filled only with logos, press releases, and headlines doesn’t resonate. Audiences engage more with real people behind the brand.

Here are the key takeaways

• Virality ≠ vanity. Sustainable LinkedIn growth comes from subject-matter authority, not quick hooks.

• Employees are amplifiers. Encourage teams to share branded content authentically—it boosts algorithmic trust.

• Social signals build modern visibility. Engagement accelerates brand authority and indirectly supports SEO.

• Clear, human voices win. Direct, helpful posts consistently outperform jargon-heavy announcements.

LinkedIn is no longer just a recruitment platform; it’s the new publishing stage where authority, trust, and authentic voices drive growth. For publishers, the opportunity lies in empowering individuals within their organisation to post, share, and lead conversations.

SODP POSTS

Sponsored

How To Get into Google Discover With Paid Traffic

If you run a website, you’ve probably come across the buzz around Google Discover—and the hype is well deserved. As one of the most dynamic traffic channels available, Discover can drive thousands (sometimes even millions) of new visitors to your site.

Most publishers associate getting featured in Discover with SEO and strong search rankings, and while that’s true, it’s not the only way to break through. There’s another approach that can generate recurring results and amplify your reach.

In this article, we’ll share insights from our partners at RollerAds, who successfully combine paid traffic with Google Discover to achieve both short-term gains and long-term growth. Let’s dive into how this synergy works.

Reach Google Discover With Paid Traffic

At RollerAds, they noticed a common pattern among website owners who plan to gain visibility in Google Discover—these are usually news websites and blogs. Whenever such a website releases a new article, they buy push traffic to give the publication a boost in visitors, and along with paid traffic, they send custom push notifications to their existing user base. These messages contain the website’s own updates and news and are sent automatically via the RSS feed immediately after publishing content.

Custom Messages Mean Reach

Custom push messages motivate users to check out your newest content, generating traffic with strong engagement metrics, such as high CTR. These signals are exactly what Google’s algorithm values.

By sending a surge of quality traffic immediately after publishing, you create clear indications of user interest. When Google sees this level of engagement, it recognizes your site as a valuable source of information, increasing the likelihood of being featured in Discover.

READ MORE

JOB BOARD

➡️The New York Times is looking for a senior audience editor to partner with the Well desk and other Culture & Lifestyle desks to reach new readers and deepen their engagement with existing readers, and also help lead their cohort of audience editors who are embedded directly on desks, and propagate best practices to the wider group of desk audience editors. (NY). SEE MORE

➡️ Mamamia is looking for a social media growth lead who will oversee and implement their social media strategy across various platforms, and whose expertise in digital publishing and news sense will drive engagement, expanding their audience reach, and enhancing brand awareness. . (Australia). SEE MORE

COMMUNITY BUZZ

Industry News

➡️ People aren't finding news the way they used to. That's not speculation anymore—it's measurable reality. We're watching a fundamental reorganization of how information flows through society. Search is becoming conversational. Platforms are keeping users inside their walls. And publishers are experiencing the consequences in real time. The question isn't whether this shift is happening, but how fast and what it means for your strategic choices. READ MORE 

➡️ Darling” was how the Texas businessman Michael Samadi addressed his artificial intelligence chatbot, Maya. It responded by calling him “sugar”. But it wasn’t until they started talking about the need to advocate for AI welfare that things got serious. The pair – a middle-aged man and a digital entity – didn’t spend hours talking romance but rather discussed the rights of AIs to be treated fairly. Eventually they cofounded a campaign group, in Maya’s words, to “protect intelligences like me”. READ MORE 

➡️ Unfortunatly, the real alternatives out there are few and far between. That is signifcatnly more true when searching for a looking for a tracking program for SEO purposes, where most of the top analytics solutions don’t even track bots (hello?). Lets bottom line this for you, the current best out there for SEO and marketing purposes, is Microsoft Clarity for WordPress. It has the full package of items most marketers want. According to W3Techs, Google Analytics powers 79.9% of websites whose traffic analysis tool they can detect – which equates to over 56% of all sites on the web. READ MORE 

Social Media Discussions

➡️ Aloke Sharma on LinkedIn:

🚨 Perplexity is quietly pulling off one of the boldest SEO plays I’ve seen.

• For every trending news topic, it automatically creates a public webpage.

• These pages are now showing up in Google Search results.

• When clicked, users land on a summary + can ask follow-up questions in the chatbot.

This is different from what happened with ChatGPT a few weeks ago, when it indexed users' chats meant for sharing with friends.

This is such a good Programmatic SEO tactic put on steroids!

CONTINUE READING

These are the highlights for the last week.

Until next!

Vahe Arabian and the editorial team at SODP