Great news to all local news publishers as they will be benefiting from increased traffic and visibility both from Google news Showcase and regular or conventional search results. Google had also announced a change and improvement to its ranking algorithms. According to Google, this update and change will assist searchers to discover content and stories from relevant and authoritative local news sources. The search engine giant also reported that the local news publications would appear alongside national publications and major news publishers in locations such as Top Stories.
Google News Showcase is a content-licensing initiative that is organized by Google. It compensates publishers to curate content via story panels. Publishers in this program can decide the content that appears in their local news panels on Google news. This is a very easy way to publish only the important and most significant news of the day and allows them to target their audience in the right way. In October 2020, Google had agreements with over 1200 news publications in many countries. If you are not aware of where to find the local news, it is found on the left-hand navigation bar of the Google news website. You can also find it in the local section of the ‘For You’ feed in the Google News app.
Google has also started allowing publishers to observe how the readers find the showcase material and if they are engaging with it. This will help the publishers decide what modifications need to be done, what is trending, whether to add more context to articles or add relevant topics and so on. For local news publishers, all this is extremely beneficial. Google provides a considerable part of traffic to the publishers but they often compete with large and big-name companies and brands who are at the top of Google News and the regular search results page. The objective of every publisher is to grow their traffic and audience. Do not worry, as long as you are publishing and posting high-quality stories and conducting proper news SEO, there is an opportunity for you to seize.
Benefits of local news advertising
In today’s world, where digital media can do wonders for small businesses, local news advertising remains one of the best ways for building a positive response, boosting engagement, and increasing customer awareness. Small-business owners can make use of local advertising to increase product sales, generate new leads and increase brand recognition. The perfect ad involves having eye-catching details, an uncluttered layout, content that is simple and is delivered simply, your address and contact information are clear. It offers many benefits that investing in it is worthwhile:
- Placing your ad in local news will not guarantee that readers will notice it, but they are more proactive because they might be looking for deals and coupons and then notice your ad, take the time to read it and act on it by contacting you.
- It offers unlimited possibilities to be creative and better flexibility. You get an entire page to promote your goods and services. However, the usage of space depends on your budget.
- It offers a plethora of options to target the right audience despite the location and is a very economical option.
- Many people feel that a few forms of advertising such as website pop-up ads and commercials are intrusive. For local news advertising, the ads are usually expected by the readers so you will get a positive reaction rather than a negative reaction from consumers.
- Local news advertising targets can target a specific audience and create positive relationships among members of the community. So, you will build a loyal customer base. By advertising with a trusted local news agency, you can build a positive reputation in the community.
- If you need to make last-minute changes to your ad, the local news advertising department can usually get the job done quickly.
- Local news agencies offer small-business owners a wide range of advertising options that will suit their budget.
- Local coverage gives readers more topics around which they can discuss with their local people who understand because they live there, too. You can build a very strong network and community with local business advertisers.
Wrap Up:
Although technology has evolved over the years, still considered as local news advertising is considered one of the trusted advertising mediums and remains to be one of the popular forms to engage in.
If you would like more information on this subject, then we have the solutions you need. Our experts can inform you of the benefits of local news advertising and also help you develop new leads. For more information on how we can help grow your business, contact us today!
