Taboola Introduces Taboola for Audience, an AI-Powered Technology for Publishers to Protect Against Threats of Generative AI Search and Social Traffic Volatility; Publishers See Over 10% Traffic Growth

Rhea-AI Summary

Taboola (Nasdaq: TBLA) has introduced Taboola for Audience, an AI-powered technology designed to help publishers increase traffic and navigate changes in search and social media referrals. This new offering has driven nearly 10% more traffic to select publisher sites, becoming a top referral source after social media and search.

Taboola for Audience combines AI-powered personalization capabilities into a unified platform, offering exclusive acquisition channels, reader experience personalization, and actionable audience insights. The technology leverages Taboola's network of nearly 600 million daily active users and distribution across top mobile device manufacturers.

This initiative aims to help publishers adapt to challenges posed by Big Tech changes and evolving consumer behavior, including the impact of Generative AI on search traffic and the closure of dedicated news portals on social platforms.

Positive

• Taboola for Audience has driven nearly 10% more traffic to select publisher sites
• The technology leverages a network of nearly 600 million daily active users
• Offers exclusive acquisition channels through Android OEM relationships and news aggregators
• Provides AI-powered personalization for improved reader experience
• Delivers actionable audience insights for content strategy optimization

Negative

• Publishers facing challenges from Big Tech changes and evolving consumer behavior
• Uncertainty around the impact of Generative AI advancements on publisher traffic
• Changes in search engine and social media traffic affecting publishers

Insights

Tech Expert

As a tech expert, I find Taboola's introduction of 'Taboola for Audience' to be a significant development in the publishing industry. This AI-powered technology addresses critical challenges faced by publishers in 2024, particularly the volatility in search and social media traffic and the looming impact of Generative AI.

The key aspects that stand out are:

• The reported nearly 10% increase in traffic for select publishers using this technology is substantial. In the competitive digital publishing landscape, such growth can significantly impact a publisher's bottom line.
• Taboola's leverage of data from nearly 600 million daily active users provides a robust foundation for their AI algorithms, potentially giving them an edge in personalization accuracy.
• The inclusion of exclusive acquisition channels like Android OEM relationships and news aggregators could provide publishers with diversified traffic sources, reducing dependency on traditional channels.

However, it's important to note that while this technology seems promising, its long-term effectiveness will depend on how well it adapts to the rapidly evolving digital landscape, especially with the advancement of Generative AI in search. Publishers should monitor the performance closely and be prepared to adjust strategies as needed.

From a technical standpoint, the integration of AI-powered personalization across entire sites, including homepages, is a complex feat. The success of this technology will largely depend on its ability to balance editorial voice with AI-driven content recommendations effectively.

Market Research Analyst

As a market research analyst, I see Taboola's new offering as a strategic move in response to shifting market dynamics. The digital publishing industry is at a critical juncture, facing challenges from multiple fronts:

• Changes in search engine algorithms affecting organic traffic
• Social media platforms reducing focus on news content
• The disruptive potential of Generative AI in content discovery

Taboola's approach of combining AI-powered personalization with exclusive distribution channels addresses these challenges head-on. The reported traffic increase of nearly 10% is significant, especially considering the current market conditions where many publishers are struggling to maintain, let alone grow, their traffic.

What's particularly interesting is Taboola's positioning as a 'single, unified audience development platform.' This could be appealing to publishers looking to streamline their tech stack and reduce reliance on multiple vendors. However, it also raises questions about potential over-reliance on a single platform.

The inclusion of actionable audience insights is a valuable feature. In an era where data-driven decision making is crucial, real-time insights that can inform content strategies could provide a significant competitive advantage.

Looking ahead, the success of this platform will likely depend on its ability to deliver consistent results across a broad range of publishers and its adaptability to future changes in the digital ecosystem. Publishers considering this solution should carefully evaluate how it aligns with their long-term audience development and monetization strategies.

NEW YORK, July 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Taboola (Nasdaq: TBLA), a global leader in powering recommendations for the open web, today announced Taboola for Audience, a new AI-powered technology that empowers publishers to drive significantly more traffic, which is more critical now than ever.

Taboola for Audience allows publishers to future-proof their audience development goals and navigate substantial changes affecting their referral traffic from search and social media. In 2024 alone, publishers have contended with changes to search engine and social media traffic, as well as ongoing uncertainty around the impact of Generative AI advancements.

Publishers are making use of Taboola for Audience capabilities and with it, Taboola has driven nearly 10 percent more traffic to select publisher sites. making it a top referral source after social media and search. Among select publishers, Taboola for Audience is the single largest traffic referral source after social media and search as well.

Taboola for Audience is an industry-first offering that empowers publishers with technology to attract and retain readers through advanced personalization and insights, sourced from Taboola’s nearly 600 million daily active users, and massive distribution including across the top mobile device manufacturers in the world.

Taboola for Audience combines AI-powered personalization capabilities into a single, unified audience development platform, and includes:

• Exclusive acquisition channels such as Android OEM relationships, News aggregators, personalized notifications and more to reach users wherever they may be.
  
• Reader experience personalization that enables editorial teams to combine editorial voice and AI across their entire site, from article pages to the homepage.
  
• Actionable audience insights that editorial and commercial teams can learn from, in real-time, to inform content strategies, bringing new loyal audiences to their site.
  

“Publishers are facing a new era in which sudden decisions by Big Tech and changes in consumer behavior are making it harder to survive,” said Adam Singolda, CEO at Taboola. “Industry giants like Google are changing rules for search, making it harder for publishers to surface content through organic rankings while adding another barrier for site traffic, in the form of Generative AI search. Social platforms like Meta have closed dedicated ‘news’ portals from their apps. Today, publishers need the right technologies to adapt to these changes and to find, grow, and keep audiences. Taboola for Audience gives publishers a single solution, with AI built from years of our successful publisher relationships to thrive in this new era.”

“Delivering more personalized and relevant experiences across all of our sites is critical,” said Mike Braun, Senior Managing VP, Chief Digital Officer at Gray Media. “With Taboola, we have been able to take a truly reader-first approach to personalize our sites, delivering more of what resonates with readers and thereby increasing engagement. Taboola’s audience technologies are allowing us to connect with readers in a more meaningful way.”

“Taboola has been a true strategic partner in helping us grow,” said Christian Broughton, CEO, The Independent. “There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to audience engagement, and Taboola’s ability to power key areas of our homepage, recirculation from within articles, and other sections of our site, their huge amounts of readership data that provide actionable insights, and their valued partnership in working side-by-side with our own editorial team are the unique building blocks in our shared success.”

About Taboola
Taboola powers recommendations for the open web, helping people discover things they may like. 

The company’s platform, powered by artificial intelligence, is used by digital properties, including websites, devices and mobile apps, to drive monetization and user engagement. Taboola has long-term partnerships with some of the top digital properties in the world, including Yahoo, CNBC, BBC, NBC News, Business Insider, The Independent and El Mundo. 

Around 18,000 advertisers use Taboola to reach nearly 600 million daily active users in a brand-safe environment. Taboola is a leader in powering e-commerce recommendations, driving more than 1 million monthly transactions, with leading brands including Walmart, Macy’s, Skechers and eBay among key customers.

Learn more at www.taboola.com and follow @taboola on Twitter.

Disclaimer - Forward-Looking Statements

Taboola (the “Company”) may, in this communication, make certain statements that are not historical facts and relate to analysis or other information which are based on forecasts or future or results. Examples of such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future prospects, product development and business strategies. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements but are not the exclusive means for identifying such statements. By their very nature, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and there are risks that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will not be achieved. You should understand that a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the plans, objectives, expectations, estimates and intentions expressed in such forward-looking statements, including the risks set forth in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 under Part 1, Item 1A “Risk Factors” and our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2b18f8e5-c381-46e3-8920-263db9c3f8eb

FAQ

What is Taboola for Audience and how does it benefit publishers?

Taboola for Audience is an AI-powered technology that helps publishers increase traffic and navigate changes in search and social media referrals. It offers exclusive acquisition channels, reader experience personalization, and actionable audience insights, driving nearly 10% more traffic to select publisher sites.

How has Taboola for Audience impacted traffic for publishers using TBLA's technology?

Taboola for Audience has driven nearly 10% more traffic to select publisher sites, becoming a top referral source after social media and search for some publishers.

What challenges are publishers facing in 2024 according to Taboola's press release?

In 2024, publishers are contending with changes to search engine and social media traffic, as well as ongoing uncertainty around the impact of Generative AI advancements on their referral traffic.

How many daily active users does Taboola's network reach?

Taboola's network reaches nearly 600 million daily active users, providing a massive distribution platform for publishers.