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As online news becomes more and more prevalent, with an unimaginable amount of information available at users' fingertips and Internet now ranked as US consumers' top way to access their news, how can media organisations make sure that readers find their articles?  Part of the answer is search engine optimisation, which is becoming an essential part of the daily life of a newsroom. For the printed product, newspapers must try to sell the paper as a whole; online, articles can attract traffic individually as readers come across them while searching for specific topics. It is therefore important that each story, rather than simply the site as a whole, is 'optimised' to appear higher in search results. Aside from highly technical aspects like HTML meta tagging, URL structure or site navigation, what can a newspaper do to optimise its content for search engines?

How to introduce SEO to the newsroom

One major potential stumbling block is that journalists might view SEO as a way to manipulate their stories and take away their true value. So the way it is presented to staff is extremely important. And indeed, it is crucial that newspapers do not get carried away with prioritising SEO above all else. Even Google advises creating content "primarily for your users, not search engines:" it is important to make your site easily accessible to search engines but still remain focused on your visitors' needs.

Clearly, it is important for all reporters to be aware of the ways that they can make each individual article more search-friendly. After all, journalists have always wanted their stories to be as widely read as possible, in print as well as online, and are likely to be willing to help make that happen. And often, the principles of SEO echo the principles of writing a good story: such as the idea that the first sentence should be a summary of the rest of the article, containing relevant concepts or keywords. One difference is that less generic, more specific works for SEO in terms of names or concepts. Google recommends shorter rather than longer titles.

Esa Peltonen, who has been working as a web analyst at the largest Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat for three years, said that he has worked extensively with editorial staff, for example on how to use Google, to get an idea of how users will be searching and what kind of search words people are using. Head of audience development at the Telegraph, Julian Sambles, said in March that the paper was trying to give journalists "the knowledge and understanding that they need so they can apply it to their daily production process and make informed decisions about content when they're writing or publishing it." Thinking about SEO should be second nature, he added.

Papers must also consider their goals in optimising content for search engines. As Drew Broomhall, head of search at the Times explained, if you rank success by sheer volume of traffic, then you should "write the same as everyone else but more of it and more frequently updated." However, if you are looking to increase engagement on a specific subject you need more detailed keyword analysis and niche research.

One straightforward course is the need to stay ahead of the trends: predict what people are going to be talking about in upcoming months and provide appropriate content. "Fix SEO requirements into the editorial calendar," Broomhall suggests. Obviously much news is unpredictable, but there are some events that are year-in-year-out, or which are easy to prepare for in advance, such as an election or a festival. It is necessary to consider both specific, distinct events, such as religious holidays, and longer, less defined periods such as winter travel. Articles that contain links and that have been linked to by others appear higher in search results. Therefore, with annual events, it is beneficial to link to last year's coverage and make use of old content that already has inbound links to help promote the new content.

Hiring a SEO specialist?

As well as training all reporters to be aware of the principles of search engine optimisation, many newspapers have taken the step of hiring an in-house specialist. Ideally such a person would have deep technical knowledge combined with considerable journalistic experience, but such candidates might be hard to find. Peltonen comes from a business background, Broomhall from journalism and technology.

There are also many third party services available to news outlets, supplementary to the guidance of an in-house expert, such as Thomson Reuters' OpenCalais which recently announced deals made with the Huffington Post, DailyMe and the Mail Online. OpenCalais offers an 'Archive Express' feature which can tag an archive of up to 20 million documents in 24 hours. The service 'reads' and breaks down articles into their essential elements - who, what, when, where, how - and tags and sorts them so that it is easier to bring archived articles into 'related stories' sections and improve their search relevance.

Analysing traffic

A SEO specialist would be responsible for analysing traffic to a news outlet's site, looking at how readers find content, readership patterns and what methods of optimisation work best. Peltonen explained how he started off looking at basic data such as what are the top news stories, how many people are going where on the site, and started to work out how to increase traffic. His paper partnered with Microsoft to further analyse traffic data. Such traffic data analysis can be used to spot and develop potential niche verticals to focus on, for example, by looking at repeat visitor figures.  

Google keywords

Purchasing Google keywords to guarantee that news articles appear higher on search results is one of the more costly ways for news outlets to promote their content. Peltonen said that his paper frequently buys specific words, for instance for sports events, but stressed that it would be cheaper to improve the paper's SEO. Buying keywords could also raise ethical issues, depending on the words and their context. The Sun, for example, reportedly purchased the key words 'Natasha Richardson' immediately after the British actress's sudden death in March, in what appears to be a blatant attempt to profit from the tragedy. The Guardian came under considerable criticism last August when, apparently accidentally, it purchased the Google keywords "Madeleine McCann," giving any searchers the link to its coverage of the child's disappearance. The Guardian promptly relinquished the rights, and said it would review its list of keywords. Purchasing Google keywords in order to promote a product is common practice, but is it ethical for newspapers?

Evidently, SEO strategies are necessary in today's media landscape, not only to make more money but also to spread awareness of stories and help readers find what they are looking for and therefore should be embraced by journalists and editors as well as publishers. Search engine 'friendliness' should not be prioritised over good, accurate stories but it should be used to promote such content. Journalistic training is vital in order to optimise each individual article, and larger strategic steps should be taken by editors in conjunction with SEO specialists.

On Tuesday 23 June at 14.00 London time, Drew Broomhall, Head of Search at the Times of London will be speaking at a WEF webinar on "How to teach your journalists to write for the web." More details here.

Detroit Media Partnership has announced that it will launch a trial with Plastic Logic to distribute the company's e-reader as part of its plan to convert to a more web-centric distribution model on 30 March, reported NewsandTech.com. Although the product will not be released until 2010, DMP has obtained 100 of the large display e-readers which it will trial with readers of the electronic editions of The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press.

DMP CEO Dave Hunke said that the publisher is working with Plastic Logic to develop a lease plan that would enable DMP subscribers to rent the readers, and DMP will use the next few months to establish pricing and availability details. DMP has been cutting down its print distribution costs to focus more on digital news: in December, the publisher announced that it would cut home delivery of its papers to Thursday, Friday and Sunday. The two publications will continue to be printed on the days they are not delivered, but joined into a single paper.

In an article for the New York Times, Tim Arango and Richard Pérez-Peña have discussed the impact of Rupert Murdoch's dedication to newsprint on his business decisions.  Whilst Murdoch's passion for print was once looked past by potential investors, in the current tough economic climate "they find that a tougher chore these days, as other media struggle and newspapers suffer through their worst slump since the Depression."  The article focuses particularly on News Corp's acquisition of Dow Jones for more than $5 billion, looking increasingly overpriced as it generated just $100 million in operating profit last year.

"Emotional biases and attachments play into our strategic decisions in really significant ways," said Sydney Finkelstein, a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, in reference to Murdoch's purchase of the Wall Street Journal, which despite (somewhat unusually in current circumstances) maintaining its circulation, has suffered a loss in advertising revenue.  The article also reasons that the continued high level of circulation could be due to the heavy discounting that the publication introduced last year.

Following increased discussion in the media world of the non-profit model as a potential saviour for newspapers, the idea of paid online content has returned to the forefront of the debate, and different ways to implement this have been proposed. What most of the arguments are lacking, however, is an acknowledgment of the free spirit of the Internet and the necessity to maintain this. If the tides are to be reversed and people are to be persuaded to pay for information again, any online payment program that is established should not erect pay walls between publications. Paid online content would be a huge step for newspapers, and a reversal of current policy, so great thought and care are required to ensure that it is a step taken in the right way. But as online advertising revenue slows, and newspapers' very survival is threatened, could paid online content indeed be the solution?

The current micropayment debate

Walter Isaacson's article in Time which first spurred the debate makes the valid and interesting point that maybe returning to paid content would actually be a positive change for the industry in terms of the way that journalists work. Charging readers for content is based on very different principles to charging for advertising. When seeking income from advertisers, readers become less of a priority: "eventually you will weaken your bond with your readers if you do not feel directly dependent on them for your revenue." Isaacson believes that the key to attracting online revenue "is to come up with an iTunes-easy method of micropayment," that would allow impulse purchases of individual articles, rather than having content available purely by subscription. As many newspapers have already tried and failed to generate income via paid subscriptions, it would seem that micropayment is definitely worth considering.  

Steve Brill's memo to the New York Times that was published in Poynter, advises the paper on "how to get off the free-content treadmill", calling for the NYT to lead the way in establishing a new paid content model. He points out that "getting an average of just $1.00 a month (3.3 cents a day) from each visitor [who currently uses the site] would yield $240m in new annual revenue." He outlines a plan whereby online articles will cost 10 cents each, a day pass for all articles would cost 40 cents, a month would cost $7.50 and a year $55. Passing on an article would cost 5 cents. This combination of subscriptions and the possibility to purchase individual articles makes sense, but there are flaws in this proposal.

All newspapers in one payment plan?

First, an industry-wide simultaneous switch would undoubtedly be a preferable solution, and arguably the only one that has a chance of succeeding. Any newspaper that unilaterally decides to start a paid content system for information that can be found elsewhere is bound to suffer from a lack of readers, as people will simply go elsewhere. Few people who get their news online have undying loyalty to one or two individual publications any more. Brill suggests "a new marketing campaign would promote the fact that the Times alone among daily newspapers (until the others follow) is charging for its content because 'you get what you pay for.'" Obviously it is possible that this would work, but it would be a huge risk and it is likely that many readers would immediately be lost, and content would be isolated, as TimesSelect content was during its brief period behind a pay wall. The idea of paying to forward an article further fortifies this wall. Forget traditional concepts of competition: newspapers need to come together so that paid content will work for everybody.

Along similar lines, offering subscriptions to each individual paper is unlikely to work anymore. Online readers have become accustomed to looking at many different sources of news each day: one of the greatest advantages of online news is that you can move freely between publications, and papers are becoming more willing to link to each other's content. This is something that should be maintained, setting up walls around individual papers is inconsistent with the benefits of the web. So papers should join together and implement a system by which users can use the same payment method for many, or ideally all, publications, whether subscription-based or micropayments. In discussion with Isaacson, Daily Show host Jon Stewart suggested a cable TV style model, whereby newspapers group together to form packages. This would definitely be preferable to individual publications proceeding alone, and might provide some healthy competition. But the user would benefit more from just one universal system, as it would be simpler to access more publications in a way that is more coherent with the current way that people use the web. Choosing between different 'packages' could be a confusing and frustrating exercise and there is the risk that media companies would align along partisan lines and further polarise the industry politically.

In line with the idea of free movement, costs would have to be lower than Brill suggests for individual articles. An ideal system would be one where costs are so low that people will not hesitate to read as many articles as they like. Any payment system developed will have to be created with the less tech-savvy user in mind. It must be extremely easy to use, unobtrusive and transparent with regards to costs. The importance of ease cannot be over-estimated; it is essential not to put people off by making registration too complicated.

iTunes or iNews?

Countless parallels have been drawn between the newspaper industry and the music industry. Obviously the two industries are very different and purchasing a song is not the same thing as buying an article: not least because you are likely to listen to a song again and again while as you would often only read an article once. Consequently, any pricing structure for newspaper content must reflect this difference, with articles costing a tiny fraction of the 99 cents that iTunes, for example, charges for a track. But there are some lessons that newspapers can learn. A crucial point to understand is that a site such as iTunes is so popular because you can buy a huge amount of music there, from many different record labels, and the pricing strategies are very simple. Once a user has set up their account and entered payment details, it is very easy to make purchases. Although newspapers may not want to lump their articles all in one place, but rather retain their individual websites, one payment scheme for all definitely seems as if it would be the most usable. A pre-paid account, or a system whereby you just needed to register your card details would probably be easiest to use.

One issue that people have often pointed to when comparing the newspaper and music industries is that many people are still prepared to buy songs legally even though they can frequently be downloaded free. According to NewspaperDeathWatch, it is the artists themselves who "drove transformation" and persuaded their fans that their music was worth paying for, and made clear the damage they cause to the industry by downloading free songs. "It's up to reporters and the emerging breed of online news organizations like Talking Points Memo to convince their fans to fork over a few pennies to consume their stuff." People feel guilty about getting free music from their favourite artists, maybe people's consciences can be evoked over consuming newspaper content free if it is damaging their favourite journalists?

The value of newspaper content

So is a return to paid content the answer for newspapers? Not everybody thinks so. New York Times op-ed contributor Michael Kinsley compares the amount of money to be made from charging online NYT readers of the $2 a month to that currently made from advertising and circulation, and as the paid online sum is so much smaller he concludes that "$2 a month is not going to save newspapers." But with more and more readers moving online, and advertising and circulation revenue dropping, it is something worth considering. Advertising can still be used to generate additional income, as long as it remains relatively unobtrusive and inoffensive.

A world-wide, newspaper-wide paid content system would undoubtedly be complicated and costly to set up, but if it could provide the vital extra income needed to save the industry, it might well be worth it. A system that allows people to move freely between publications in the way that they can now, and encourages newspapers to link freely to one another so as to make best use of the advantages of the web, is essential. And hopefully readers will not only think that newspaper content is worth paying a small amount for, but learn to value this content more.

James Rainey of the LA Times finds that the conjunction of the decision by Detroit's two daily newspapers to reduce the days of home delivery, and the American Society of Newspaper Editors vote to take "paper" out of its name in April, indicates an embrace of "the shift of many readers and advertisers to the Internet," Rainey notes.

But a shift in newspaper delivery could have more serious implications for the industry as a whole.

How much longer will newspapers be able to actually deliver the news? Rainey wonders, as does the rest of the industry.  The Internet is where many believe the news industry is headed, as evidence by the Christian Science Monitor's decision to go online-only and print a single Sunday edition.  

Detroit's papers argue it's better to alter their delivery system than to "further cut the news staffs."  The move will save millions for the papers, owners said.

But the break from the 400-year-old delivery system, Rainey notes, is the kind of move that there's no going back on.

The rise in "purchasing power" of the Brazilian middle class, or Class C, has led to a newspaper "boom" in the country, Huffington Post is reporting.  

Although Brazilians still buy fewer papers compared with Americans, per capita, as incomes and literacy rates rise, Brazil is catching up in its newspaper markets.

The European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA) released a study showing that Europeans are increasingly turning to the Internet.  Usage is increasing both for leisure pursuits and a means to manage their daily lifestyles.

55% of the 178 million European Internet users go online everyday and 51% go online on the weekends.  In addition, it is the 25-34 year -olds that are driving recent growth.  The study also highlights the top ten activities people do online; here are the top five:

Two reporters for the United Daily News and one colleague from the China Times were subpoenaed to testify at the Ministry of National Defense tribunal, which was investigating Taiwan Goal, but they chose not to appear in court since they would have been asked to identify their sources for their stories. Thus, Kuomintang lawmakers proposed an amendment to the Code of Criminal Procedure that would allow press workers to refuse to release sources of information.

The Taiwan Goal, founded last year, is the now-disbanded government-owned company responsible for purchasing weapons and equipment from abroad. It had signed contracts to "upgrade Lafayette frigates and purchase sophisticated arms from France before the scandal came to light in the run-up to the presidential election on March 22," according to AsiaMedia.

The three reporters believed that freedom of the press is guaranteed by the Constitution, but such protection does not cover immunity to prosecution if reporters withhold their sources of information.

The proposed amendment, which would give that immunity to press workers and other professionals including medical doctors, midwives, priests, and attorneys, will be acted on next week.

Wu Chih-yang, a Kuomintang lawmaker, said "reporters should be protected against intimidation."

 "A few reporters have been held in contempt of court and fined for refusing to reveal their news sources. That goes against freedom of the press upheld in the Constitution," Wu said.

Source: AsiaMedia

We’re currently on a study tour in the UK, visiting some of the most innovative newsrooms with a group of 25 editors, focusing on themes of integration and journalist training. Here’s a glimpse and just a few practical tips gathered this morning at the Daily Telegraph.

In the UK, The Sun’s bingo website has become its biggest-earning commercial partnership online. As more newspapers – especially but not only tabloids – offer news-unrelated services online, and as press groups become media groups, it’s no longer unreasonable to ask whether these ‘alternative’ features have become the actual content.

Marketplace, created by the Lawrence Journal-World newspaper, is a website listing businesses in Lawrence, Kansas. Users get to browse local businesses and businesses get exposure on the Internet. How does this model generate revenue? Businesses on the site pay different fees for varying levels of sophistication in their listings. 

During a briefing held at Google headquarters, Chief Executive Eric Schmidt discussed Google’s stance on acquiring large companies and news organizations.  Although becoming more comfortable with bigger acquisitions, Schmidt stated that news organizations would not be among those companies acquired by Google.

News Corp. Chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch, in a speech on Feb. 8, reiterated concerns for newspapers’ vulnerability, although he still values their importance. Clearly though, digital operations have supported News Corp. continuous strong results.

Although China has been heralded for the growth of its newspaper market, the print side of that growth may be short-lived. It seems that younger generations, like in other countries, are rapidly adopting the Internet as their preferred medium for news and entertainment. And with 100 million Chinese Internet users and growing fast, this trend looks to be irreversible.

The struggles of the French press are well documented. Not only have many papers been losing circulation and money, but many of their investors come from private businesses often connected to the government that raise suspicions of not-so-independent editorial boards. In fact, the Economist says that by some counts "70% of the French press is in the hands of defence firms."

Bloggers are often portrayed as having a tense relationship with mainstream media, defying traditional reporting practices while seeking recognition and credit for their work. But several recent announcements imply a dawning awareness that serious bloggers produce legitimate work.

London-based AFX News Ltd. will soon be changing hands. Electronic publisher Thomson Corp. is purchasing the business news agency from Agence France-Presse, the companies announced Wednesday.

Expect News International publications to integrate themselves more fully into cyberspace, as Rupert Murdoch is pushing for an expansion of the company’s Internet communities this summer. Recruitment is underway for a “new online community team as part of an exciting project" expected to focus on more forums and user-generated content.

The Daily Mail and General Trust, one of Britain's largest publishers, is diversifying its online offerings by purchasing a company which runs dating websites as well as a majority stake in a company which runs an automobile classifieds site. DMGT, which has recently experienced a roller coaster ride with its struggling regional newspaper company Northcliffe Newspapers, is following a trend of many publishers such as the New York Times Company in investing in online acquisitions.

Source: Reuters 

Microsoft and the NYT's future news reader made news at a meeting of U.S. editors recently in Seattle but let's please first concede that it is vaporware - it doesn't exist in a form availble to customers.
In contrast a few weeks earlier at INMA in Chicago the folks at Press Display were quietly showing some serious upgrades to their digital delivery technology that can help editors and publishers today.
The most stunning to my eye was the real-time user feedback that publishers can collect and analyze for free. (see graphic)

Also discussed.

• Web 2.0 - what does it mean? 
• Why it's 'Me' Media, not 'we' media 
• Why did Rupert Murdoch buy a Karaoke site? 

Russia's state-owned natural gas giant Gazprom is considering purchasing the influential liberal newspaper Kommersant, a Moscow business daily reported Tuesday. But counter to what was reported in newspapers Moscow, the senior official with Gazprombank, which is a subsidiary of Gazprom, denied the bank was involved in negotiations to acquire Kommersant.

The Internet has arguably been the biggest boon to newshounds since the first newshound scanned his first headline. The nearly infinite amount of content available at the click of a mouse has liberated the reader, creating a freedom that he fears could be taken away by the very newspapers that feed his obsession. At the same time, newspapers are having trouble surviving on the very tool their readers now take for granted. Below are some ideas of how newspapers can keep their readers happy while simultaneously earning revenue.

The San Jose Mercury News, the flagship of the now extinct legacy newspaper company Knight Ridder, is up for sale along with 11 other former KR papers. Although its tech-oriented Silicon Valley community still appreciates the Merc's hard work and quality journalism, the Los Angeles Times reports that none of the techies seem interested in purchasing the paper.  

McClatchy has announced the sale of 12 papers after acquiring Knight Ridder. The prospective buyers have diverse interests; whether driven out of civic pride or workers’ rights.

The Washington Post Online’s photographic content is now available for viewing, purchasing and licensing at its online photo store. Teaming up with California company Pictopia.com, all Washington Post images are made available for purchase for professional and amateur use. Advanced search tools make it easy to navigate and readers can store their favorite images.