Publishers have attempted to diversify their traffic sources in recent years as it’s become clear that relying on single platforms risks derailing their businesses if (or when) the priorities and needs of those platforms change.
Now, Google itself is urging publishers to diversify their distribution efforts beyond search if they want it to send traffic to their properties.
Google has been stepping up its efforts to prioritize content in search results from sites that genuine human audiences find valuable, and those sites typically attract attention from a range of channels besides search, according to the company’s Search Liaison Danny Sullivan. Publishers hoping to attract traffic from Google might therefore benefit from focusing a smaller portion of their attention on it, he said.