Google Recommends Noindex For Syndicated News Content

By Chris Barnhart On Jul 11, 2023

Google Recommends Noindex For Syndicated News Content

Are you concerned about syndicated content outranking your news content?

Google reinforced its long-standing recommendation that publishers require syndication partners to noindex syndicated news content.

The Twitter discussion began with data compiled by John Shehata, CEO of Newzdash.

https://t.co/3tIbivNpDv

Here is a complete data analysis of Content Syndication impact in Google Search for News publishers with the list of most impacted sites and estimated traffic share going to Yahoo syndicated content vs original content. Data by NewzDash based on millions… pic.twitter.com/d4aFlaQMJ2

— John Shehata (@JShehata) July 7, 2023

The main finding: Yahoo News consistently gets a high proportion of traffic for syndicated news content compared to the original publisher sites.

When Yahoo syndicates publishers’ content, that syndicated version often outranks or ranks similarly to the original content in Google search and news results.

Hence, Yahoo News likely receives a significant portion of the traffic that could have gone to the original publisher sites.

Google Confirms: Noindex Syndicated Content

Google SearchLiasion entered the discussion, tweeting several replies with slides from a recent event discussing updates with advice concerning syndication, canonicals, and noindex.

I talked in May at an AOP event in London & revisited our guidance about syndication, so maybe these slides I used there will help. Our main help page change was to focus on your goal with syndicated content rather than the mechanism… https://t.co/YcEzsdBv82 pic.twitter.com/FFhA7doHTS

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) July 7, 2023

Here, you can see the precise recommendation for syndication partners to use the noindex tag, which could help Google’s automated systems better recognize the original article.

For Google News, our advice on syndicated content outside your network did not change. Use noindex. Wasn’t use canonical before. It was use noindex. And as it’s your syndication arrangement, asking for that is entirely possible. https://t.co/YcEzsdBv82

Some publishers… pic.twitter.com/N5HIHnUqHC

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) July 7, 2023

Google maintains it only recommends noindex, not canonicals.

We also updated the guidance for those who use syndicated content to consider to only recommend noindex. Of course, if the agreement the partners have requires this, they should follow the agreement. We made the change so this advice was completely consistent with what publishers… pic.twitter.com/rtTyQTG2xI

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) July 7, 2023

Ultimately, Google does not blame its guidelines syndication partners for outranking original publisher content.

We also changed our guidance for Google Search to match what it was long for Google News, use noindex. Of course, if publishers had been requiring noindex completely as part of agreements, they’d have already been doing this. But it makes it all consistent https://t.co/P9ajQ6XWoC pic.twitter.com/pTYG773ACY

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) July 7, 2023

This recommendation does not mean that Google can’t tell what content is original and what is duplicated.

At this point, there’s sometimes a “What? Google thinks everyone in the world needs to noindex content because they can’t figure out original content!” reaction. No. We figure out original content all the time. But when content is deliberately allowed to be published by another… pic.twitter.com/jUhAF01UWz

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) July 7, 2023

Canonical tags do not work because the content on a syndication publisher’s website can differ from the original content, thanks to the unique website templates and surrounding related content.

Syndicated content especially can differ from the original content with lots of other material on the page. Canonical is designed primarily to deal with near duplicate pages. That’s why we don’t recommend it for syndication within a network (such as two newspaper owned by the… pic.twitter.com/9Jqo8u4jmT

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) July 7, 2023

Some Twitter users misinterpreted the advice, leading to the following clarification:

We aren’t saying stop syndicating. We’re saying if you care about the content you voluntarily allow to be published perhaps outranking your own, have the partner make use of noindex — which has long been our advice. https://t.co/IP5eAHSL53 pic.twitter.com/j6O8LowWnL

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) July 10, 2023

Google also offered three options for publishers who use syndicated content partners.

There are basically three options if someone syndicates through a deal with a partner. Do nothing, expect to compete with partner in ranking. Use noindex, and guarantee partner won’t compete. Try canonical, effectively the same goal as noindex, keep partner from competing…

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) July 10, 2023

SEO professionals advised publishers to help ensure original content outranks the rest.

Something people may want to remember…
(as it stills seems to be confusing for some)#SEO #Syndication #Remember #DarthAutocrat pic.twitter.com/KGTPlbrNUQ

— Darth Autocrat (Lyndon NA) (@darth_na) July 10, 2023

Publishers Must Decide

The complex issue of syndicated content potentially outranking original content has received renewed attention.

Despite some confusion and misinterpretation, Google remains consistent in its long-standing advice, emphasizing that publishers should require their syndication partners to use the noindex tag.

Ultimately, Google leaves it up to news publishers and syndication partners to properly determine how to handle content to ensure both meet their publishing goals.

Featured image: dennizn/Shutterstock

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