"Rappler is also paying Google to make sure their articles about Duterte comes on top of Google search results in the Philippines, US, Australia, and UK. And because their articles about PRRD are mostly negative...you know what happens next," Sasot said.
Sasot said that a Search Engine Optimization specialist used a tool that helped her uncover this truth.
The site allegedly used keywords for the articles they wanted to boost readership for.
The keywords used were mostly focused on President Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Antonio Trillanes.
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| Photo by Sass Sasot |
"A lot of the keywords are about Duterte. Merong din kay Matobato, Trillanes, Leila de Lima, Leni Robredo, Bongbong Marcos, at Mar Roxas," she said.
"Ang pinakamataas na CPC (cost per click) ay sa keyword na "Trillanes News" - 2.34 USD. Ang CPC po ay ang binabayad ng Rappler sa Google bawat may mag-click sa ad na gamit ang keyword na iyon. Di po raw natin malaman kung magkano binayad ng Rappler sa Google sa lahat ng ito at private info siya," she added.
Rappler is the pioneer news site in the Philippines that fused online journalism with social media.
Source: Sass Rogando Sasot
