How and Why Facebook's Referral Traffic Has Dropped And is Affecting Journalists
Facebook referral traffic has been dropping for years, and has had a significant impact on newsrooms and journalists since the COVID-19 pandemic. As more and more people turn to social media for their news, Facebook has been one of the primary drivers of traffic to news sites. As recently as 2021, one-third of people in the United States surveyed were getting their news from Facebook. However, in recent years, there has been a sharp decline in Facebook referral traffic, which has left newsrooms and journalists scrambling to find new ways to reach their audiences.
According to data from Chartbeat, a web analytics company that tracks traffic to news sites, Facebook referral traffic to news sites has declined by 52 percent since January 2017, and while 2017-2020 was a slow decline, the decline became sharper following controversy surrounding misinformation on the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a significant drop, and it has had a direct impact on the number of visitors to news sites and the revenue that these sites generate.
One of the main reasons for the decline in Facebook referral traffic is the changes that Facebook has made to its algorithm. In an effort to prioritize content from family and friends over content from publishers, Facebook has reduced the amount of space that news stories occupy in users' news feeds. As a result, news stories are less likely to be seen and shared, which has led to a decline in referral traffic. Facebook also discontinued Instant Articles, which hosted news on the site itself with links to reputable news sources.
The decline in Facebook referral traffic has forced newsrooms and journalists to find new ways to reach their audiences. Many have turned to other social media platforms, such as Twitter and LinkedIn, to promote their stories and engage with readers. Others have focused on developing direct relationships with their audiences through email newsletters and other forms of content marketing. Unfortunately, the sharp decline in Facebook referral traffic has also had an impact on the business models of newsrooms and journalists. The decline in traffic from Facebook has led to a rapid drop in ad revenue, which has forced newsrooms to scramble, cut back on staff, and reduce the amount of content they produce. Some newsrooms have also introduced paywalls or other methods to regain lost revenue—but this model comes with its own challenges, including making their content inaccessible to some communities.
As Meta and Facebook continue to deprioritize news, newsrooms will need to divert from a model that some have relied on for over ten years. This could have devastating consequences for the public’s access to reliable sources of information, and could contribute further to the closing of local news networks. The lack of regulation in how information is transmitted on the internet contributes to this issue. Sweeping legislation and reform is needed to prevent the further decline of the quality and accessibility of newsrooms.
