.png)
Google Discover Traffic Recovered in Days: Why Power-Wrestling Left WordPress for Newsifier
“Newsifier took away the stress of updates and plugins — and brought my site back into Google Discover.”
One of Germany’s Top Wrestling News Sites Was Stuck
Power-Wrestling.de is a leading wrestling news site in Germany with over 700,000 monthly pageviews. But in late 2023, its main traffic source — Google Discover — suddenly collapsed.
“I tried everything: SEO experts, new servers, plugins, even Fiverr freelancers,” says founder Christian Bruns. “Nothing worked.”
Then he switched to Newsifier. Within days, the site was back in Google Discover, performance improved across the board, and revenue grew by 35%.
Before Newsifier: The Problems That Held Power-Wrestling Back
Managing WordPress Alone — And Paying for Help That Didn’t Work
For Christian, running a busy news site was becoming more about firefighting than publishing. “I did everything myself,” he says. “Plugin updates, server issues, SEO tweaks — there was always something.”
He spent hundreds of euros trying to fix problems through hiring SEO experts.
“I spent around €500 to €600 on so-called SEO experts on Fiverr,” he explains. “One moved the site to a faster server, which helped performance a bit — but the Google traffic didn’t come back.”
And even with a faster hosting, issues kept popping up. “There were crashes, error messages, and things that would block readers. At one point, people couldn’t access the site at all.”
Google Discover Traffic Collapsed Overnight
In October 2023, traffic from Google Discover began to plummet. By August 2024, it was nearly gone. “I still don’t know what caused it,” Christian admits. “I checked everything — Search Console, server speed, mobile usability — nothing worked.”
The collapse wasn’t just frustrating. It affected ad revenue, visibility, and motivation. “It’s hard to stay motivated when nothing works, even after all the effort and money you put in.”
Poor PageSpeed and Failing Core Web Vitals
The WordPress setup wasn’t keeping up with Google’s performance standards. “PageSpeed was nowhere near passing. Core Web Vitals failed. I knew that was hurting visibility,” he says.
"And with every plugin or speed tweak, something else broke. I felt like I was patching a broken system every week.”
Time and Money Lost on Technical Work
Christian estimates he spent at least 10 hours per month managing technical issues himself. On top of that, hosting and freelance costs added up to over €700 some months.
“When you add the time I lost — and the time I didn’t spend publishing — it just didn’t make sense anymore.”
Why Power-Wrestling Switched to Newsifier
A CMS Built for Newsrooms
What attracted Christian to Newsifier wasn’t just the performance promise — it was the idea of a CMS built specifically for news publishing.
“It’s not overloaded. The editor is smooth and fast. It’s quicker to publish now,” he says. “In WordPress, you have to deal with Yoast SEO boxes, extra checklists, and settings everywhere. This is much simpler.”
Even uploading and placing images is easier. “Photos are already there on the server. You just drag them in. No weird cropping or layout bugs like I had before.”
Lightning-Fast Site — And Google Discover Comes Back
Almost immediately after the migration, the difference was visible. “After we switched, it took a couple of days — and then Discover traffic came back,” Christian says.
“There was a big event that weekend, and the traffic was really strong.”
PageSpeed scores jumped above 95, and all Core Web Vitals are now passing. “That alone made the switch worth it,” he says.
Social Sharing That Saves Hours
Before Newsifier, Christian posted every article manually across channels: Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, Web Push, even Instagram.
“I was doing it all by hand. Now it’s integrated,” he says. “If you’re posting 100 times a month, this saves a lot of time.”
Real-Time Analytics (Including Google Discover)
Christian is especially excited about the new real-time analytics dashboard that tracks Google Discover traffic live.
“I really like that feature,” he says. “It’s interesting to see how articles perform in the moment — it’s motivating, especially during big events.”
A/B Testing for Headlines
Christian also likes using Newsifier’s A/B testing tool for headlines.
“It’s helpful to test headlines. In WordPress, I didn’t have a good way to do that,” he says.
A Migration That Didn’t Break Anything
Migrating a news site can be risky. But Christian says the switch from WordPress to Newsifier was smooth.
“October was our first full month on Newsifier, and it went very well — especially during big shows,” he says.
There were no SEO drops. Hosting was taken care of. Even ad integration with Snack Media was simple because they already knew how to work with Newsifier.
Results: A Fast Turnaround and Big Wins
Conclusion: “I’m Not Thinking About WordPress Anymore”
For Christian, switching to Newsifier wasn’t just a CMS upgrade — it was a reset.
“I’m not thinking about WordPress anymore,” he says. “The editor works. The traffic is back. I can focus on the site again.”
Instead of spending time on updates, crashes, and broken plugins, he now spends it publishing and growing his audience. His ad revenue is up. His performance metrics are better than ever. And Google Discover is working again.
If you’re a news publisher losing traffic, stuck in technical issues, or just tired of fighting with WordPress — Newsifier is built to solve those exact problems. Quickly, and without drama.
Book a personalized demo to learn more.
Book a demo to find out how Newsifier can help grow your online publishing business
Grow your traffic Traffic Growth
On average our clients grow their traffic with 35% per year, and their SEO traffic with 47%
Maximize your revenue
Newsifier ensures you maximize revenue per visitor with premium Data and Monetization features
Reduce Cost
We’ll show you how using Newsifier will reduce your spending on hosting, software development, and SEO consultants
Similar case studies
Abstract customers share how they manage design systems, scale design operations, and collaborate cross-functionally.