Onsite searches increased over 1,500%, from 30,000 to 500,000 per month
Article recirculation up 30%
Articles translated on the fly into seven languages, with 75,000 translation requests per week
By turning its static, keyword-based search function into an AI-enabled conversational experience available in seven languages, Newsweek has exponentially increased the number of onsite searches as well as its website traffic. Personalized content recommendations have enhanced reader engagement, lengthened time on site, and increased article recirculation by 30%.
By turning its static, keyword-based search function into an AI-enabled conversational experience available in seven languages, Newsweek has exponentially increased the number of onsite searches as well as its website traffic. Personalized content recommendations have enhanced reader engagement, lengthened time on site, and increased article recirculation by 30%.
The journey from digital-first to AI-first runs through generative AI–based search
The next big challenge for media companies will be shifting from a digital-first to an AI-first mindset.
Bharat Krish
Chief Product Officer, Newsweek
Even while the rallying cry of "digital first" continues to echo in the ears of executives at other legacy media companies, Newsweek's Bharat Krish has tuned in to a more resonant solution: artificial intelligence.
When he joined as chief product officer, Newsweek had already completed the transition from a print-first to a digital-first model. "The challenge for digital-first publications is finding diverse and sustainable revenue streams beyond digital advertising," Krish, a seasoned media executive, observes. "Our content has to be readily accessible, and we have to keep readers engaged with it so we can monetize it in multiple ways."
But maintaining and growing a strong digital presence has traditionally required significant resources and increased operational overhead. Krish sees AI as a powerful solution to streamline and enhance these efforts. "The next big challenge for media companies will be shifting from a digital-first to an AI-first mindset," he predicts.
At Newsweek, that shift has begun with the search function.
Navigating uncharted territory with Google generative AI
When Krish arrived at Newsweek, most of the 60 million visitors finding their way to the magazine's website were arriving through organic search, social media posts, and newsletters. "They'd come, read an article, and leave without exploring the vast amount of other content Newsweek offers," he explains.
Krish wanted to actualize the potential value of that content — everything from news articles and op-eds to videos, newsletters, and rankings. "But discovering all that content through keyword-based searches was just too difficult," he recalls. "A typo in your keyword could skew your results, and the search engine had no way to contextualize a query based on current events or geography, or even offer up related content."
My previous interactions with other cloud providers always felt transactional, but partnering with Google gave me access to the kinds of brilliant people I knew could help us leapfrog our competitors.
Bharat Krish
Chief Product Officer, Newsweek
Krish turned to Google to partner in developing a cutting-edge and cost-effective generative AI search engine that would personalize the search experience and make Newsweek's content more discoverable for a more diverse audience.
"I knew we were trying to solve a complex problem in uncharted territory and that generative AI is evolving rapidly," Krish says, explaining his choice to work with Google AI. "My previous interactions with other cloud providers always felt transactional, but partnering with Google gave me access to the kinds of brilliant people I knew could help us leapfrog our competitors."
Together with Google partner Zazmic, chosen for its savvy in advertising and marketing at digital media companies, Newsweek created a proof of concept for a Vertex AI search and translation engine for the Newsweek website in less than a month.
AI-enhanced search increases engagement, traffic, and onsite queries exponentially
By making the reader's search experience more human and conversational, Vertex AI is unearthing more relevant content and turning that content into intelligence. Readers are no longer searching for a keyword, reading an article, and leaving — they're remaining onsite, performing more searches, and getting more value from our content.
Bharat Krish
Chief Product Officer, Newsweek
The new Newsweek search engine combines semantic search with keyword search, so it can accept natural-language queries — spelling mistakes and all — surfacing a list of articles and videos ranked in chronological order and accompanied by a summary, a list of trending queries, and recommendations for related content.
So whether you're looking for plot summaries of movies that got an Oscar nod, need statistics on how the US dollar fared against foreign currencies over the past three years, or researching the events leading to the coronation of King Charles III of England, Newsweek has just made the experience a whole lot easier.
"By making search more conversational, Vertex AI is unearthing more relevant content and turning that content into intelligence," says Krish. And it's doing it in seven languages: Thanks to Gemini, search results can be translated into Portuguese, Mandarin, French, Spanish, German, or Hindi on the fly, further personalizing the reader's experience with Newsweek's website and widening its audience considerably.
In fact, since implementing the new search engine, onsite searches have skyrocketed, from 30,000 to 500,000 per month, and there have been 75,000 translation requests per week. "Readers are no longer searching for a keyword, reading an article, and leaving," reports Krish. "They're remaining onsite, performing more searches, and getting more value from our content."
They're also returning more often. Today Newsweek is logging more than 100 million website visits per month — roughly double the number of a year ago — thanks to increased content and engagement. The new recommendation engine has also increased article recirculation by 30%.
To further improve engagement, Newsweek's search engine has been linked to Wikipedia, whose content is delivered alongside Newsweek's in response to readers' queries. Krish expects reader engagement to continue to increase as Newsweek adds more features to its website.
And now that Krish's team is able to better understand what readers are searching for, they plan to use that data to help align content creation with reader interests as well as serve contextual ads and sponsor links.
"Newsweek's new search functionality is about more than just metrics," observes Yann Kronberg, Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Zazmic. "Those metrics represent a thrilling transformation of how Newsweek's readers experience news, and we're beyond excited about other ways the media company can leverage AI."
A roadmap racing at the speed of AI
Google AI shows up in several places on Newsweek's roadmap. The search engine will soon link to Newsweek's "best of" listings and rankings, as well as its archive of 90 years' of back issues.
Other planned offerings include personalized newsletters tailored to each subscriber's specified interests and chatbots that turn reading into knowledge by anticipating what the reader is interested in and providing relevant content — from news stories and services to event recommendations.
"AI is evolving quickly, and Newsweek's collaboration with Google allows us to keep up with this market evolution," Krish reports. "This represents a big step forward in redefining how the media industry engages its consumers."
AI is evolving quickly and Newsweek's collaboration with Google allows us to keep up with this market evolution. This represents a big step forward in redefining how the media industry engages its consumers.
Bharat Krish
Chief Product Officer, Newsweek
Krish also sees applications for Vertex AI in content creation. "Our listening audience is currently untapped," he admits. "The ability to convert all our articles into audio using text-to-voice translation will enable our current readership to consume our content while traveling or working," he adds, "and make a whole new audience of listeners available to us."
Newsweek is a global news magazine that provides high quality, in-depth coverage and analysis of the major events shaping our world. For more than 80 years, the iconic brand has been offering readers a unique perspective on world affairs and giving context to the most important events in global news.
Industry: Media & Entertainment
Location: United States
Products: Vertex AI Enterprise Search, Gemini
About Google Cloud partner- Zazmic
Zazmic Inc. is a US-based company that solves development, operations, cloud infrastructure, and security challenges so organizations can focus on their core business.
