WSJ’s paywall’s Google loophole closed

Better start paying for a WSJ subscription: The Wall Street Journal is tightening its paywall to close the “Google loophole,” which allowed people to skirt its paywall by cutting and pasting the headline of a story into Google, according to Digiday’s Lucia Moses. “The Journal is a rarity in publishing in that it gets more money from readers than advertising, so it’s protective of its paywall,” Moses writes. The WSJ is looking to optimize the paywall for subscription sales but have it also continue to work for advertisers. One way to find WSJ links with subscriptions now: El Face. “While it’s ending Google first click free for now, which lets subscription publications be indexed by Google search, the Journal is increasing its exposure to new audiences by letting people read for free links that are shared on social media by subscribers and staffers.”