Post by shikharani00189 on Oct 31, 2024 6:42:56 GMT
Google has announced the removal of the First Click Free (FCF) system launched in 2007 to replace it with Flexible Sampling . First Click Free is a Google idea that aimed to encourage webmasters to offer the first click to paid content (usually by subscription) so that the user could measure the interest in this type of publication. Launched in September 2007 for Google News and then generalized in October 2008 for the entire Web, FCF has made it possible to promote certain paid content by offering the first reading to users, Google relying on studies to demonstrate that few Internet users subscribe to paid content without knowing what they were actually going to find.
Flexible Sampling will replace its predecessor in order off page seo service to continue in this vein, but by offering more latitude to webmasters . The objective is simple with this system, it allows Google to index content that is nevertheless paid and inaccessible in theory, in exchange for a partial or free display of some content for the user. If webmasters do not use Flexible Sampling as they should then the pages will neither be interpreted nor indexed by Google, it is a bit of a give and take (in any case that is the objective but I admit to doubting a little that GoogleBot will so easily dissociate subscription pages from others, we notice it in particular with closed forums whose content appears in clear in the Google cache...).
Two types of possibilities are allowed by Google for Flexible Sampling ( documentation ) , therefore to offer extracts of paid content to users in order to know if the subscription is worth it:
Metering : Google recommends setting up a monthly counter for content offered (rather than a daily counter that is meaningless according to the firm) so that users can read meaningful extracts of content before subscribing. This is somewhat similar to the idea of First Click Free but freer, since webmasters can determine the number of content offered and their frequency (even if, let's remember, Google recommends a monthly count). Google recommends 6 to 10 content offered per month for sites that offer daily articles, but these figures can be adapted according to the editorial volume of the site of course.
Lead-in : This method offers more flexibility and seems simpler to implement. It involves putting a reading block after "x" lines of content (often above the fold) which invites users to read the beginning of the content and then subscribe to read the entire text. The advantage of this method is to facilitate indexing for Google but also to apply a single method to all content, regardless of the frequency of writing of the site. In other words, you offer a few dozen free lines before arriving at a "Subscribe to read the full article" button (for example).
In both cases presented above, Flexible Sampling must be accompanied by Schema.org structured data specific to Paywalls ( documentation ). The "isAccessibleForFree" property (true/false) is there to determine whether or not it is paid content. The other Schema.org properties indicate the sections of pages subject to subscription (Paywall). Google even specifies that there is the amp-access element for articles which offers an alternative in AMP. If the structured data is missing, Google indicates that it can associate this inaccessible content with cloaking, and can therefore penalize the pages. It is therefore preferable to do things according to the rules, by opting for the solutions best suited to your content.
