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Google Discover is a powerful way to get additional traffic to your website without anyone actively searching. In this blog, I'll explain what Google Discover is, where to find it, and most importantly, how to optimize your blogs and news articles to appear in it.
What is Google Discover?
Google Discover is a personalized content feed from Google that shows users what they are likely to find interesting. Instead of entering a search query, users are automatically presented with content based on their behavior, interests and interactions.
You can compare it a bit to a social media feed, but without following people yourself. Google does that work for you.
The algorithm continuously looks at signals such as previous searches, viewed content and interaction with topics. Based on that, Google determines which articles, blogs and videos are relevant to you.
Where can you find Google Discover?
Google Discover is mostly found on mobile. Most users come across it in the Google app or on Google's mobile home page when they haven't looked anything up yet.
Precisely because Discover is mobile-first, usability on mobile devices plays a big role in your success.
How does Google Discover work?
Where traditional SEO is all about keywords and positions, Google Discover works completely differently. The algorithm tries to predict what content someone wants to see, even before they themselves know what they are looking for.
Three things play a big role here: relevance, timeliness and engagement. Google often tests content first with a small group of users. Does it get good clicks and reads? Then Google increases the reach. If there is no interaction, your article disappears from view just as quickly.
That's what makes Discover interesting, but also whimsical. You can get spikes in traffic without changing your rankings.
What factors determine whether you get into Google Discover?
Google is pretty clear in their guidelines: there is no guarantee that you will appear in Discover. Nevertheless, there are clear factors that will increase your chances.
Content that performs well in Discover often has a combination of a topical or trending topic, a strong visual presentation and a title that is curious without being misleading. In addition, the content must actually provide value.
Reliability also plays a big role. Content should meet Google's general guidelines such as E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authority and reliability).
7 tips to optimize your content for Google Discover
As mentioned earlier, there is no guarantee of being shown in Google Discover. However, there are some things you can do to increase your chances. Below I give you 7 tips:
Tip 1: Capitalize on current events and trends
Google Discover often prioritizes topical content. Articles about recent developments, trends or changes within your field are more likely to get picked up.
That doesn't mean evergreen content is worthless, but it should have a hook with the now.
Tip 2: Focus on click behavior (CTR).
Discover is all about click-through rate. Google tests your content and watches: do people click on it or not?
So your title and image directly determine your success. A boring article with good content often loses out to an attractively presented piece.
Tip 3: Invest in strong images
Image may be more important than text in Discover. Large, sharp and relevant images get more attention ánd more clicks.
Preferably use images at least 1200 pixels wide and make sure they really add something to your story. In addition, Google recommends using a 16:9 ratio, as this format is often used within Discover. This prevents Google from having to "crop" your image itself and losing the quality of the image.
Additionally, make sure the max-image-preview:large is set, giving Google permission to display your images large in Discover, which can improve your visibility and click rate. You can add this setting via a meta tag in the <head> of your HTML page:
* If you use a CMS like WordPress, you can often set this up through an SEO plugin (like Yoast SEO) under the robots/meta tags settings.
Tip 4: Write for people, not keywords
Because Discover does not rely on search queries, you can be a little looser with keywords. The focus is on readability, relevance and interest.
A good article reads naturally, provides clear insights and holds your attention.
Tip 5: Show your expertise
Google wants to show reliable content. Articles that show they were written by someone with knowledge or experience are more likely to get a chance.
Substantiate your story, use examples and be specific. Avoid superficial content.
Tip 6: Ensure a strong mobile experience
Because Discover is used almost entirely on mobile, your website must be perfectly suited to it. Think fast load times, short paragraphs and clear formatting.
If users drop out quickly, Google sees it right away.
Tip 7: Keep publishing consistently
Websites that regularly post new content simply have more chances of getting picked up. In addition, it helps Google understand your website better and show it more often.
How do you measure success in Google Discover?
In Google Search Console, you'll find a separate report for Discover. Here you can see exactly how many impressions and clicks your content gets.
One thing to note is that Discover traffic often shows peak behavior. An article can suddenly get a lot of traffic and then drop off again. This is normal.
Therefore, don't just look at individual articles, but at the bigger picture.
Getting started with Google Discover
Google Discover can be a huge source of traffic, but only if you get it right.
Focus on current content, strong visuals and a good user experience. Combine that with clear and honest titles and you'll soon be fine.
It remains unpredictable, but that's what makes it interesting.
Written by: Gido Berendsen
This is Gido. Gido is an online marketer and a born Achterhoeker. And Gido brings that Achterhoek mentality to the office.