Google Working on Special Tools for Publishers: Report

Google is hard at work on a new set of tools aimed at increasing subscription rates for content publishers.

According to Bloomberg, Google is performing an overhaul on its ‘first click free’ feature. This enables readers to search and access articles from subscription publications.

Google is also looking into online payment tools for publishers with the goal of encouraging more subscriptions. It would be win-win for Google and publishers because as they receive more subscriptions, the more apt they are to remain online. And more subscriptions, of course, means more consumers are online too. This means more eyes are on Google’s products and ads.

Google is currently testing the new tools with the New York Times and the Financial Times. But, according to Bloomberg, other publishers will soon be able to take them for a test drive too.

“It’s clear from news publishers that they can’t live on advertising alone,” Google vice-president for news Richard Gingras told Bloomberg. “But it’s also clear that we’re seeing a shift in a market.”

One way Google is testing the new tools is to enable readers to see content that would normally be hidden behind a paywall. Instead, articles and other forms of content would be offered for free through Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages, also known as its AMP platform.

Another goal of the tests is to help publishers identify the people they should be targeting for subscriptions via its AMP pages. This would also enable Google and content creators to gauge how much readers would be willing to pay for subscriptions.

The post Google Working on Special Tools for Publishers: Report appeared first on SiteProNews.