Changes in Spanish law required Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) to shut down its Google News in Spain. However, thanks to Google Universal Search, which could deliver news stories relevant to a search query. Google also confirmed to Search Engine Land that both the “en las noticias” and the “Noticias” will be available where the user could browse the relevant news for search query.
Officially, Google News España has shut down in line with its closure deadline. Users trying to reach news.google.es are redirected to a webpage that offers an explanation and apology. The new legislation requires Spanish publication houses to charge to Google News and similar services for showing even a portion from their publication.
A strict Spanish “anti-piracy” law will go into effect on January 1, 2015. Google found it unsustainable and decided to shut down its services.
How Google News Lives On
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) still allows its Spanish readers the ability to search for and find relevant news stories through a dedicated vertical search engine. Similar to “In the news” box, Google showcases news content into an “En las noticias” within regular search results. This is part of Google Universal Search, where it blends results from its vertical engines like images, maps and shopping into regular results.
Secondly, the user could navigate to “Noticias” link after entering a specific search query into Google. This link is similar to the “News” link on English-language sites.
The Follow-on Repercussions
News publishers in Germany experienced a significant decline in their traffic upon removal of their snippets from Google News. The comparable impact is likely to be faced by publishers in Spain as a result of Google News shut down. Chartbeat data suggested 10% to 14% fall in external traffic following the closure of Google News Spain. However, overall traffic was reported to be stable.
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