Germany: Google news snippets publisher backs down

Removal of news snippets led to drastic decline in web traffic.


After deciding to opt out of Google news in October, Axel Springer has changed its mind.  Axel Springer blocked Google from using news snippets from its most popular news sites, including Welt.de.

Google began to display headlines only and Google News traffic to the sites fell by 80%.  Web search traffic fell 40%.

Sources: The Digital Reader; The Verge.