Content Aggregation And What Does It Mean To Publishers

Written by: Rashmi

These are times of instant gratification – users want a plethora of information at their fingertips. Within a few clicks, they can read an article about the latest trends in technology and then instantly follow another link to a wedding affair of a star. And even if they are not willing to read something, their phones’ notifications will budge them to check what’s going on in the world. In short, the user today is bombarded with content from everywhere.

But what is the major reason that users are also willing to consume it all? Free content!

There are multiple content aggregators that distribute content for absolutely no money. And while this is great for the readers, publishers end up bearing the brunt of lost revenue. That’s why they are trying to come up with innovative business models to sustain themselves in the ever-competitive market. That being said, not everything is dark when it comes to content aggregation and publishers.

In this article, we have tried to decode what exactly is content aggregation and how does it affect the publishers. In the end, you can also find some ways about how publishers can turn the tables and make the most of content aggregation. Let’s begin.

What is Content Aggregation?

Content aggregation, as the name suggests, is a process in which a software or platform brings together different types of content into one single user interface. The content can vary from web pages to emails and PDFs. Now, the platform that gathers all this in a single place is known as a content aggregator.

In the current scenario, content aggregators are becoming widely popular as they help people discover and consume content from various sites. Some of the best examples of content aggregators would be Google News or Alltop.com. These sites gather data from other news publishers and distribute them to their customers.

Content Aggregation And Publishers: Is It A Win-Win Situation?

What content aggregation means for publishers is a tricky question. On one hand, content aggregator sites direct huge traffic to publishers’ sites. They also strengthen the backlinks and authority of the publishers. On the other hand, publishers may lose their subscriptions which can lead to a loss in revenue. In simple words, no, it is not really a win-win situation.

There are various dynamics that can cause friction between content aggregators and publishers. For instance, while it is true that content aggregators are promoting the content of original sites but they are doing that in order to promote their own site. Moreover, it can also diminish the authority over the content since it is the aggregator who is deciding what to publish when.

With such a complex situation, finding a balance becomes essential. No matter how strong content aggregators become, they too cannot sustain without these publishers. After all, it is the publishers’ content that is making content aggregation possible in the first place.

One way to sort this thing would be to collaborate and ensure proper revenue share. The publishers too need to come up with different ways to get benefits from content aggregation. Let’s see how.

How Publishers Can Benefit From Content Aggregation

The first and foremost thing publishers need to ensure they can benefit from content aggregation is to create some ground rules. They can decide if they want to collaborate with any content aggregator or not. And if they do, how is it going to help them financially.

They can also invest in digital tools that help them in content aggregation on their own terms. For instance, our Bold CMS comes with the benefit of content aggregation. It allows the publisher to automatically publish content on news aggregator platforms such as DailyHunt, Apple News, and Google News.

What more? Publishers can also utilize the process of content aggregation on their own websites by sharing the content from social media channels. Again, this can be done by using our headless CMS.

There are a lot of possibilities in content aggregation. Publishers just need to analyze their goals and create a strong strategy using the right tools.