NewzDash’s latest survey of 100 news publishers and SEO professionals offers a snapshot of where news SEO is headed.
The findings highlight emerging trends, challenges, and strategies to stay competitive.
From Google Discover’s growing role to tackling AI-driven search disruptions, here’s what industry pros need to know.
Top Takeaways
Google Discover
Google Discover is a key traffic driver for publishers, but results are mixed:
52% of respondents rank Discover as a top priority for 2025.
56% reported traffic increases from Discover in recent months, while 21% saw declines.
AI’s Impact
AI-driven features are shaking up the search results pages (SERPs):
39% see Google AI as a threat to traffic, while 43% are still unsure of its impact.
Due to AI changes, 32% reported adverse effects on visibility and click-through rates.
Content scraping by AI platforms is also a growing concern:
32% allow scraping, 29% selectively block platforms, and 11% block them entirely.
Publishers are trying different strategies to protect their content from being scraped, including paywalls, structured data, and legal policies.
Top Challenges
The biggest hurdles for SEO teams include:
Budgets: 34% struggle with limited funds for tools and resources.
Skills Gap: 24% cite a lack of advanced SEO expertise within teams.
Tools: 17% report a lack of specialized SEO tools for news publishers.
Hiring: 13% say finding skilled SEO talent is difficult.
Budget constraints are particularly notable:
45% operate with less than $1,000/month for SEO tools.
13% have no budget at all, relying on free resources.
Watch also: SEO in 2025: Your Top Key Trends, Priorities, and Challenges
Lean Teams
Most SEO teams are lean, often handling multiple brands or websites:
Team Sizes:
44% have 2–5 members.
34% have just one person managing everything.
Only 11% have teams of 10+ members.
Workload:
Each team member manages an average of 4.5 brands or websites, with a median of 3.
Organizational Placement:
32% work closely with editorial teams, while 22% are part of marketing.
19% report to product/engineering teams, and only 5% operate as standalone SEO teams.
Watch also: AI & Automation for SEO: Scale Efforts and Drive Revenue
Editorial Collaboration
Bridging the gap between SEO and editorial teams remains critical: