After ending Google users' free ride, WSJ fades in search results

Traffic from Google plummeted 44 per cent after WSJ free articles went behind paywall

After blocking Google users from reading free articles in February, the Wall Street Journal’s subscription business soared, with a fourfold increase in the rate of visitors converting into paying customers. But there was a trade-off: Traffic from Google plummeted 44 per cent.
 
The reason: Google search results are based on an algorithm that scans the internet for free content. After the Journal’s free articles went behind a paywall, Google’s bot only saw the first few paragraphs and started ranking them lower, limiting the Journal’s viewership.
 
Executives at the Journal, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, argue that Google’s