UK news site the Sun ended 2024 by losing half of its audience, due in part to “algorithm changes at certain platforms,” according to the latest earnings report from parent company News Corp.
On the earnings call, News Corp Chief Financial Officer Lavanya Chandrashekar was more specific, blaming “industry headwinds on search algorithms.” Yes, that means Google search algorithm updates.
The drop. Glenn Gabe, SEO consultant at G-Squared Interactive, shared a screenshot showing the massive visibility drop on X:
Why we care. Not all websites are losing Google traffic, but many are and have been over the past couple of years following multiple helpful content and core updates (and others). Another News Corp. publisher, the New York Post, also lost 27% of its traffic during the same time period. Although HubSpot’s traffic collapse was much discussed, HubSpot isn’t the only site struggling with traffic loss.
What the Sun is saying. A Sun spokesperson told Press Gazette they are less concerned about traffic metrics:
- “After an extended period of significant growth, we have been impacted by the volatility of the referrer platforms like everyone else, especially in the US.
- “But … we are focused on growing deeper engagement with our readers and less concerned about pure reach metrics like global UVs.”
So what metric does the legacy media brand care about “more than anything now”? YouTube watch time.
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About the author
Danny Goodwin is Editorial Director of Search Engine Land & Search Marketing Expo – SMX. He joined Search Engine Land in 2022 as Senior Editor. In addition to reporting on the latest search marketing news, he manages Search Engine Land’s SME (Subject Matter Expert) program. He also helps program U.S. SMX events.
Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously was Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.
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