More than four out of ten (44%) of visitors to Google News scan headlines without accessing newspapers' individual sites, including many "power news users" who consult news sources as least twice a day, according to new study from Outsell.
The research underscores the dramatic effect that aggregators such as Google and Yahoo have had on both print and online readership for "news right now," Outsell said.
Some 57% of news consumers now go to digital sources, up from 33% a few years ago, and they are also more likely to turn to an aggregator (31% of news consumers) than a newspaper site (8%), or other site (18%).
Looking for solid, substantiated information about search engine marketing from the industry's best resources? The 84-page Search Engine Marketing Factbook featuring 55 charts provides data on who is using search engines and how, as well as data on keywords, clicks, and paid search metrics. This search-related factbook consists of chapters 1 & 3 from the larger Digital Marketing Factbook?a 144-page compilation of data and 110 charts that also covers email marketing and social media.
Other survey findings:
- Only 10% of news users are willing to pay for a print newspaper subscription to gain online access, and 75% say they would turn to a different source for local online news if their newspapers required a paid subscription.
- Local newspapers retain strength with local topics, such as family events and entertainment.
"Among the aggregators, Google's effect on the newspaper industry is particularly striking," said Outsell analyst Ken Doctor. "Though Google is driving some traffic to newspapers, it's also taking a significant share away."
As consumers gravitate toward the Internet for news, 3.5% annual declines are forecast in both daily and Sunday newspaper circulation, leading to a low of 43 million Sunday newspaper readers by 2012, compared with more than 62 million in the early 1990s.
About the data: Conducted in late 2009, the Outsell study surveyed 2,787 US news consumers about their online and offline news preferences.
