Facebook, Not Google, Is Now the Top Referral Source for Digital Publishers

Facebook's efforts to develop relationships with publishers and curate content within the News Feed has paid off by making it the top referral source for digital media brands.

As the industry leaders, Facebook and Google seem to be locked in eternal struggle for supremacy. Over the last number of years one of the main areas of contention between the two has been driving referral traffic.

However, it’s not simply about top market share, it’s a contest between social referrals and search engine referrals.

Until recently Google has been the top traffic referrer online. But according to data from Parse.ly, which provides web analytics for digital publishers that include the likes of Mashable, Telegraph Media Group, and Business Insider, Facebook recently surpassed Google as the top referrer for major publishers.

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Parse.ly CTO Andrew Montalenti told SocialTimes that there are several factors contributing to this shift.

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