How Paywalls Are Changing The Future of Web Content

By Jenny Banful 

The internet has long been shaped by free and open access to information, but over the last few years, more publishers have introduced paywalls. What is a paywall exactly? It’s a system that restricts access to content unless the reader pays or subscribes – locking articles, reports and insights behind subscription models. This rise has left many marketers wondering how gating content affects not just readership, but also a website’s authority and visibility.

The Paywall Catch-22

A paywall provides a direct revenue stream for publishers, but for marketers, content creators and site owners, the effects go beyond monetisation. Search engines rely on crawling and indexing pages, so when content sits behind a paywall, less of it is available for search engines to crawl and rank. This lack of visibility creates a trade-off for publishers in the form of reduced discoverability, fewer backlinks, and, in some cases, weakened authority since links and shares decrease if people can’t access or cite the content easily. The challenge for publishers, therefore, is finding the right balance and keeping enough content open to build reach and authority, while monetising in ways that don’t erode long-term credibility.

Paywalls and User Behaviour

Paywalls directly impact how users interact with websites. For instance, many users leave when they hit a paywall, leading to a higher bounce rate, while some may accept cookies to view the content. 

“Google’s recent spam update wasn’t about paywalls, but it did reinforce the focus on accessible, user-first content. When paywalls lead to higher bounce rates or limit indexable content, those user signals can indirectly impact search performance and rankings,” says Emma Hawkless, Tug SEO Account Manager. 

For others, paywalls signal high-value content due to their exclusivity, creating even higher perceived value. Moreover, the priority for publishers remains balancing the need for revenue with the risk of pushing readers away.

The middle ground? Finding a hybrid paywall model that captures both reach and revenue. In place of a hard paywall model, publishers may opt for a metered paywall allowing readers to view a limited number of free articles before a subscription is offered, free trials, giving readers full access for a limited time to build trust and retention, or a freemium model where some content remains free while premium or in-depth material is locked. All three approaches help maintain visibility while still monetising high-value content.

An example of metered paywall content in action is the New York Times. It uses a mix of technical and editorial tactics, such as flexible sampling (e.g., the first 100 words or a quota of free articles), structured data and an indexing strategy that allows content to be indexed and ranked despite the paywall. The success of this model is in part due to the NYT’s site authority, which has long since gained the publication a loyal readership. 

Paywalls are here to stay. But their impact extends beyond revenue, shaping how sites are discovered, how users behave, and how authority is built online. For publishers and brands, the key isn’t choosing between free and paid. Instead, it’s designing a strategy that protects both visibility and value.

Now that you’re familiar with how paywalls work, feel free to chat with us about any further questions you have about maintaining site visibility.