Another year wrapped up, and this time it is International Search News taking its turn.
International Search News is now more than six years old. Since launch, the site has published 1,169 articles from myself and a group of smart, generous contributors including Christina Xu, Marcus Pentzek, and Natalia Witczyk. What started as a small industry project has grown into a consistent publishing platform that reaches a global search audience.
2025 was an important year for the site. Alongside regular publishing, we hosted our first online virtual conference, WorldView. Running an event for the first time was a learning experience in every sense. From planning and promotion through to delivery, it highlighted what worked well and where we can improve. The goal is to take those lessons and do it again next year, but in a stronger and more polished way.
The numbers from 2025 tell a useful story.
- We published 137 articles over the year.
- Those articles generated 50,657 reads.
That level of output and readership shows there is clear demand for practical, well-informed content about international search. At the same time, the data also reveals where the next phase of growth needs to come from.
Looking ahead to 2026, the focus will be on repositioning a large portion of the content. International Search News has leaned heavily toward reporting on updates, changes, and industry news. That will continue, but it needs to be balanced with more thought leadership and original perspective from both myself and our contributors.
Distribution is the other big priority. Right now, around 90 percent of readers come from forums, email, and direct sharing rather than Google. That tells me two things. First, the content resonates with real people in the industry. Second, my distribution strategy needs work. Improving how content reaches new audiences will be a major focus next year.
International Search News has always been about learning in public and building something useful for the search community. Six years in, that goal has not changed. The way we execute on it will.
Dan
