From Deals to Visibility: How Publishers Ranked During Amazon’s Big Spring Sale 2025
4. April 2025This March, Amazon launched its annual Big Spring Sale, running from March 25 through March 31, 2025, and offering major discounts across fashion, home goods, beauty, electronics, and more. Unlike Prime Day or Black Friday, the event was open to all shoppers, not just Prime members (though they still got discounts on additional items), and was positioned as a way to kick off the spring season with fresh deals and limited-time offers.
To analyze how this major retail event was covered in search results, we used data from the Trisolute News Dashboard to take a closer look at publisher performance on Google’s mobile SERP (Search Engine Results Page) and, more specifically, inside the mobile News Boxes. On the SERP, we included a variety of ranking types—such as Organic Results, Top Stories Carousels, Video Boxes, Web Stories, and more—to get a broad picture of visibility. Zooming in on the mobile News Box allowed us to isolate news-focused visibility and better understand how editorial coverage performed separately from e-commerce listings, videos, and other content types.
For both analyses, we focused on the time frame from March 23 to March 31, 2025. However, publisher visibility was only detected between March 25 and March 30 on both the SERPs and in News Boxes.
First, we identified all keywords that generated rankings related to the Big Spring Sale during the specified period. Based on those keywords, we then analyzed the five most visible publishers on the mobile SERP and the ten most visible publishers in the mobile News Box, tracking their visibility trends, top-performing keywords, and best-ranking articles.
Given the commercial nature of the Big Spring Sale, it’s particularly valuable to look at both the full mobile SERP and the News Box separately. While the broader SERP includes a wide mix of shopping, video, and organic results, the News Box highlights which publishers succeeded in establishing their editorial coverage amid intense competition from direct shopping offers and promotional content.
Let’s dive into the data!
Performance on the mobile SERP
We’ll start this analysis off by taking a close look at how the event played out on Google’s mobile SERPs. We’ll first look at the relevant keywords and then at the five publishers and platforms that performed best.
Big Spring Sale-keywords that ranked on the SERP
We’ve put together a list of keywords that generated rankings on the mobile SERP throughout the examined time frame and fit the Big Spring Sale thematically. The nine keywords that emerged from those requirements together resulted in a total of 4,595 rankings, with the most-ranked keyword being “amazon deals” at 1,412 rankings. The keywords are sorted by their individual number of rankings, and the ranking values, which are shown in brackets after the keywords, represent the number of different appearance options on a 15-minute basis in the directly visible area of the mobile SERP. Here’s the full list of keywords:
A quick look at the most-ranked keywords around the Big Spring Sale shows a clear focus on deals rather than just the event itself. The keyword “amazon deals” generated the highest number of rankings (1,412), outperforming event-specific terms like “amazon spring sale” (1,183) or “amazon big spring sale” (500). This highlights that both audiences and publishers prioritized content about actual discounts and best offers.
At the same time, multiple variations of the event name ranked well—such as “amazon spring”, “amazon big spring sale deals”, and even broader terms like “spring sale”—indicating that a mix of official branding and general sale-related language resonated with readers.
Let’s now take a look at the top 5 publishers that were able to gain the most visibility over all 10 ranking types based on those keywords:
Top 5 publishers on the SERP
Top 5 publishers and platforms on US SERPs on Amazon’s Big Spring Sale 2025
- CNET
CNET secured the top spot among publishers during Big Spring Sale, achieving 9.67% of the total visibility. After a steady visibility performance from March 25 to 27 and a slight drop on March 28, there is a visible increase starting on March 29. The publisher then peaked on March 30 with 17.52% visibility—one of the strongest single-day performances in the analysis. On that peak day, the most-ranked keyword was “amazon spring sale” with 58 rankings.
In total, CNET accumulated 300 rankings, with “amazon spring sale” emerging as its most-ranked keyword overall (132 rankings, representing 11% of all rankings for this keyword). CNET’s most visible article was “Amazon Big Spring Sale Live: Shop Over 80 of the Best Deals on Headphones, Home Goods and More“, capturing attention with a live-deals roundup of the event. - Amazon
Amazon itself came in second in visibility, accounting for 7.44% of the total. Unsurprisingly, it was the platform with by far the most total rankings—891 over the analyzed period. The brand reached its highest visibility on March 28, peaking at 18.22% (the highest measured visibility overall in this analysis).
The top keyword on that day was “amazon deals” with 159 rankings. Overall, “amazon deals” dominated Amazon’s presence, generating 511 rankings and making up a significant 36% of all rankings for this keyword. The most visible page was the evergreen “Today’s Deals” page, which is heavily optimized for ongoing promotions like the Big Spring Sale. - New York Times
The New York Times secured 6.84% of the total visibility during the sale period. Its performance was steady between March 25 and 28, maintaining around 9% visibility each day except for a slight dip on March 27. After March 28, however, visibility dropped to 0% for the remainder of the analyzed time frame.
“amazon deals” was the top keyword on March 25, 26, and 28, while “amazon spring sale” led on March 27 during the visibility dip. In total, The New York Times generated 240 rankings, with “amazon deals” contributing 116 rankings (8% of all rankings for that keyword). Their most visible article, “The Best Deals From Amazon’s Big Spring Sale (and Across the Internet) This Week“, highlighted both Amazon-specific offers and other retailer promotions. - The Verge
The Verge captured 6.38% of total visibility, with a performance characterized by ups and downs. Visibility was strong at around 9% on both March 25 and 27, dropped sharply to below 1% on March 28 and 29, but then rebounded on March 30 to 7.12%.
On that recovery day, the most-ranked keyword was “amazon spring sale” with 24 rankings. Across the entire analyzed period, The Verge generated 286 rankings, and “amazon spring sale” was again its leading keyword (121 rankings, accounting for 10% of total rankings for that keyword). The most visible article was “Amazon’s big spring sale continues, and we found the 101 best deals“, offering an extensive, curated list to tap into the reader’s appetite for deal roundups. - New York Post
Rounding out the top five on the mobile SERP, the New York Post achieved 4.76% of total visibility. The publisher peaked on March 26 with 7.26% visibility, driven by the keyword “amazon spring sale” (41 rankings). Visibility dropped to zero on March 28 and 29 but rebounded slightly to 2.84% on March 30.
In total, the New York Post earned 187 rankings, with “amazon spring sale” as its top keyword (76 rankings, contributing 6% of all rankings for that term). The most visible article was “135+ biggest Amazon Spring Sale deals that rival Prime Day, updated live“, a dynamic live-updating page on the Spring Sale event.
Performance on the mobile SERP
Now that we’ve looked at Google’s SERPs on the Big Spring Sale, let’s zoom in a bit more into the individual ranking type News Box to see how the keywords and publisher performances were different from those on the SERPs.
Keywords that ranked in the mobile News Box
When comparing the keywords on the mobile News Boxes versus the general SERP, the overall pattern remains similar, but the ranking volumes are noticeably lower.
While “amazon deals” dominated the SERP with over 1,400 rankings, it generated only 400 rankings in the News Boxes. Similarly, “amazon spring sale” led the News Box rankings with 412 rankings, slightly ahead of “amazon deals”—whereas on the SERP, “amazon deals” had a clear lead. This suggests that while both types of search results focused heavily on discounts and the event itself, the News Box content was slightly more aligned with the branded term Amazon Spring Sale.
Additionally, the difference in search volume is expected, as the News Boxes are just one part of the overall SERP. The broader SERP likely captured many more rankings across other types, such as organic results, video boxes, and shopping integrations, showing that news content was just one important angle in the overall visibility around the Big Spring Sale.
Let’s now have a zoomed-in look at the top 10 publishers and platforms that gained the most visibility in the mobile News Boxes around the event to see how they differentiate from the top 5 in our SERP-based analysis.
Top 10 publishers in the News Boxes
Top 10 publishers and platforms in US News Boxes on Amazon’s Big Spring Sale 2025
- CNET
Like on the SERPs, CNET claimed the top spot in the mobile News Boxes, securing 10.41% of total visibility—slightly higher than its 9.67% visibility on the broader SERPs. After a gradual climb beginning March 25 (3.67%), CNET saw a strong surge, reaching 12.51% on March 27 and ultimately peaking at 16.18% on March 30—the highest visibility recorded by any publisher. On this peak day, “amazon spring sale” was the most-ranked keyword (20 rankings).
In total, CNET generated 145 rankings in the News Boxes, nearly half of its total SERP rankings for that same keyword (300). “amazon spring sale” was its most-ranked keyword overall (56 rankings, 14% of all rankings for this term). Its most visible article was the same as on the SERPs: “Amazon Big Spring Sale Live: Shop Over 80 of the Best Deals on Headphones, Home Goods and More“. - New York Times
The New York Times followed with 7.32% visibility, again performing slightly better than on the SERPs (6.84%). The publisher’s highest peak occurred on March 28, when it reached 13.37% visibility. The top keyword on that day was “amazon deals” (19 rankings).
Overall, The New York Times gathered 108 rankings in the News Boxes. The keyword “amazon deals” dominated in performance with 84 rankings (21% of all rankings for that term). The most visible article remained the same as on the SERPs: “The Best Deals From Amazon’s Big Spring Sale (and Across the Internet) This Week“. - The Verge
The Verge achieved 6.18% visibility in the News Boxes, maintaining a position similar to its 6.38% on the SERPs. Its strongest day was March 25, when it peaked at 9.85% visibility, mainly through keywords like “amazon big spring sale” (14 rankings) and “amazon big spring sale deals” (10 rankings). After a brief drop, visibility surged again on March 27.
The Verge generated 84 rankings in total, with “amazon spring sale” as the most ranked keyword (41 rankings, 10% of the keyword’s total visibility). Interestingly, its most visible article was slightly different from the SERPs version: Amazon’s big spring sale continues, and we found the 85 best deals (instead of “101 best deals” on the SERPs). - Engadget
Engadget broke into the News Box rankings with 5.62% visibility, despite not appearing among the top five on the broader SERPs. It peaked on March 25 with 10.06% visibility, with “amazon deals” (20 rankings) as the top keyword.
In total, Engadget collected 87 rankings, most of them linked to “amazon deals” (38 rankings, 10% of the keyword’s total). Its top article was “Amazon Spring Sale robot vacuum deals: The best sales from Shark, iRobot, Dyson and others“. - NBC News
Also new among the News Box leaders was NBC News, reaching 4.84% visibility. It saw a major peak on March 28, climbing to 10.48% visibility with “amazon deals” (14 rankings) leading the way.
NBC News recorded 87 rankings in total, with “amazon deals” (44 rankings, 11% of the keyword’s total) as its top-performing keyword. The most visible article was “46+ Best Amazon Big Spring Sale Deals 2025 You Won’t Want to Miss“. - New York Post
The New York Post maintained a consistent presence, accounting for 4.68% of total visibility—almost identical to its 4.76% on the SERPs. Visibility steadily rose until March 27 (7.07%), when “amazon spring sale” was the top keyword (17 rankings), before dropping sharply. Visibility briefly recovered on March 30 (3.77%).
The publisher generated 65 rankings, most of them tied to “amazon spring sale” (28 rankings, 7% of the keyword’s total). Its most visible article remained “135+ biggest Amazon Spring Sale deals that rival Prime Day, updated live“. - TODAY
TODAY reached 3.98% visibility, mainly driven by a strong performance on March 25, when it topped 11.3% visibility—higher than any other publisher that day. Multiple keywords contributed to that peak fairly evenly, including “amazon big spring sale deals” (11), “amazon big spring sale” (10), “amazon big spring” (7), and “amazon deals” (6).
TODAY accumulated 60 rankings in total, with “amazon big spring sale” (17 rankings) as its most-ranked keyword. Its standout article was “Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Shop Deals Up to 65% off Brooks, Clinique, More“, being the publisher’s only article that appeared in a News Box. - Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide accounted for 3.68% visibility, with a very uneven course over the week. After minimal visibility early on, the publisher shot up by 14.67 percentage points to 14.97% visibility on March 29, the highest among all publishers on that day. “amazon spring” (17 rankings) was the top keyword driving the surge.
In total, Tom’s Guide earned 50 rankings, most of them linked to “amazon big spring” (18 rankings). Its most visible article was “I’ve been covering Amazon sales for 18 years — here’s the 63+ best spring deals this weekend“. - Yahoo
Yahoo was the only platform (rather than a traditional news publisher) among the Top 10, reaching 3.39% visibility. Its course was relatively stable around 3–4%, peaking slightly on March 29 at 4.95%, where “amazon spring” (6 rankings) dominated.
Yahoo earned 50 rankings in total, with “amazon deals” (14 rankings) as its top keyword. The most visible article was a syndicated article from Engadget: “One of our favorite cordless vacuums drops to $150 in the Amazon Spring Sale“. - Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure closed the top 10, reaching 3.07% visibility. After a slight peak on March 26 (3.81%), the publisher saw a notable surge to 8.94% on March 29, driven mainly by “amazon spring” (11 rankings).
The outlet recorded 45 rankings overall, with “amazon spring sale” (28 rankings) as its most prominent keyword. The most visible article was “I’m a Flight Attendant and I’m Calling It: These Are the 15 Best Deals From Amazon’s Big Spring Sale“.
Key takeaways for publishers from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale 2025
Amazon’s Big Spring Sale 2025 offered a clear view into how editorial content can carve out space in highly commercial search environments. Several key takeaways stand out for publishers.
Article titles that included specific numbers—such as “85 best deals,” “46+ best deals,” or “up to 65% off”—performed particularly well in the mobile News Boxes. This shows that clear value propositions in headlines are highly effective for ranking in competitive, deal-driven environments.
Interestingly, two of the top 10 publishers in the News Box analysis—Tom’s Guide and Travel + Leisure—used a more blog-like tone in their most visible articles, relying on the first-person perspective (“I’ve been covering Amazon sales for 18 years” or “I’m a flight attendant and…”). This likely helps build personal trust and emotional connection with readers, which can be especially valuable during commercial events where authority and relatability matter.
While the same general themes (Amazon deals and the Spring Sale event) dominated both the broader mobile SERPs and the News Boxes, the number of rankings was much lower in the News Boxes. This is expected, since News Boxes are only a subset of the SERP, but it also highlights that success strategies may differ: broader SERP visibility benefits from a mix of organic, shopping, and video content, whereas News Box success depends much more on timely, editorially strong articles.
Maintaining visibility across the event period required ongoing updates or fresh headlines. Publishers like CNET, The Verge, and the New York Post, who either updated their articles live or pushed new content throughout the event, were able to sustain higher visibility instead of just peaking once.
The results also show that publishers are not only competing with each other but increasingly with platforms like Amazon itself on the SERPs and Yahoo in the News Boxes. For future retail events, a strong combination of SEO, smart headline strategies, trust-building content, and dynamic updates could be essential to secure prominent visibility across different parts of the SERP.
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