Content Publishers Experience Decrease In Traffic Due to Google News Indexing Disruption

Google is currently investigating a disruption in its Google News indexing service, as reported by the Google Search Status Dashboard.

There is an ongoing issue with Google News indexing that is affecting all websites. This issue may result in a decrease in traffic from Google News. Our team is actively working to identify the root cause of this problem. The next update regarding this issue will be provided within 24 hours.

The Google Search Status Dashboard serves as a tool to provide updates on the status of Google Search systems and address any issues that may impact multiple sites or users, potentially affecting site performance.

When Did the Google News Indexing Issues Start?

Reports of Google News traffic problems surfaced on Twitter a few hours ago.

Has the Google News platform (https://t.co/ILD5MsHxuu) been broken since June 20th? Source: @NewsDashboard

— Virginie Clève – Largow Stratégie digitale ☕️ (@largow) July 10, 2023

John Mueller, a Google Search Advocate, acknowledged the issue in his response:

Hi folks, we are currently investigating this incident: https://t.co/NlsLfymPx4

— John Mueller (official) · Not #30D (@JohnMu) July 10, 2023

The Publisher Center Help community is also discussing this issue. Publishers have noticed unstable Google News traffic over the past few weeks, which may be related to syndicated content rankings.

If I worked for a news publisher who syndicates through Yahoo, I would definitely check my Google News traffic. According to @NewsDashboard data, Yahoo’s visibility across Google News skyrocketed beginning June 20. #SEO #NewsSEO

🧵 pic.twitter.com/Q1OdSKaaJZ

— Will Flannigan 🌵 (@Will_Flannigan) June 26, 2023

Semrush Sensor has also observed significant fluctuations in the News category across Google in the last 30 days.

What’s Next

When an issue is identified, Google’s Search Relations and Search Engineering teams collaborate to resolve it.

Detection of issues is typically based on various signals, including internal monitoring and community feedback.

Currently, the Search Engineering team is actively investigating the root cause of the Google News indexing issues.

While investigations are underway, measures may be implemented to mitigate the scope and impact of the problem.

Continued Updates on Google News Indexing

Throughout the resolution process, the Search Relations team will provide regular updates.

These updates will include more detailed information about the issue, such as the scale or affected regions, the timeline for the next update, and the progress made towards resolution.

We will continue to monitor the situation and expect updates within the next 24 hours.

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