Google Discover is a powerful tool that can bring lots of free traffic to your website. It’s a feed of personalized content that shows up on Google’s mobile app and homepage.
To boost your chances of appearing in Google Discover, focus on creating high-quality, engaging content that matches users’ interests.
Getting your content to show up in Google Discover can help you reach new readers and grow your audience. While there’s no magic formula, there are steps you can take to improve your odds. These include making sure your content is relevant, timely, and trustworthy.
Optimizing for Google Discover is different from regular SEO. It’s more about understanding what your audience wants and creating content they’ll love. This means writing articles that are interesting, informative, and easy to read on mobile devices.
Understanding Google Discover
Google Discover is a personalized content feed that shows up on mobile devices. It aims to give users interesting articles and videos without them having to search.
The feed looks at what you like and shows you more of it. It uses your search history, browsing habits, and things you’ve looked at before to figure out what you might want to see.
Google Discover tries to guess what you’re into. It might show you news, sports scores, or recipes based on what you usually look for online. The feed changes as your interests change over time.
You can find Google Discover on the Google app homepage on your phone. It’s also on the Google.com page when you use a mobile browser.
The content in Discover comes from all over the web. It can include articles, videos, and other types of information. Google picks what to show based on how good and new the content is.
Users can tell Google what they like or don’t like in their feed. This helps make the suggestions better over time. You can follow topics you’re interested in to see more about them.
Google Discover is different from regular search. Instead of you looking for info, it tries to show you things you might like before you even ask.
The Importance of E-E-A-T
E-A-T plays a big role in Google Discover. It helps Google find good content that users will like. Let’s look at why it matters so much.
Expertise and Authoritativeness
Google wants to show content from people who know their stuff. This means writers should be experts in their field. They need to show they have deep knowledge about what they’re writing.
Expertise can come from education, work experience, or lots of practice. Writers should share their background to prove they’re qualified.
Authoritativeness is about being respected in your field. This can be shown through:
- Awards or honors
- Speaking at events
- Being quoted by others
- Writing for well-known sites
The more authority a writer has, the more Google will trust their content for Discover.
Trustworthiness
Trust is key for Google Discover. Users want to know they can believe what they read. Trustworthy content is accurate, honest, and up-to-date.
Ways to build trust include:
- Citing reliable sources
- Updating old content
- Being clear about who wrote the article
- Having a professional-looking website
Google also looks at what others say about a site. Good reviews and backlinks from trusted sites help show trustworthiness.
It’s important to be open about any conflicts of interest. This honesty helps readers trust the content more.
Creating High-Quality Content
Quality content is key for Google Discover success. Focus on crafting valuable, engaging pieces that resonate with readers.
Evergreen vs. Timely Content
Evergreen content stays relevant for a long time. It covers topics that people search for year-round. Examples include how-to guides, product reviews, and educational articles.
Timely content is about current events or trends. It can attract a lot of attention quickly. News stories, seasonal topics, and trending issues fall into this category.
A mix of both types works well for Google Discover. Evergreen pieces provide steady traffic. Timely content can lead to traffic spikes.
Avoiding Clickbait
Clickbait uses misleading titles to get clicks. It often disappoints readers. Google Discover aims to show trustworthy content.
To avoid clickbait:
- Write clear, accurate titles
- Deliver on the promise of the headline
- Use interesting but honest descriptions
- Focus on providing real value to readers
Quality content builds trust with both readers and Google. It increases the chances of appearing in Discover feeds.
Enhancing User Experience
Google Discover favors content that provides a great user experience. This means making your site easy to use on mobile devices, writing catchy headlines, using eye-catching images, and adding structured data to help Google understand your content better.
Mobile-Friendly Design
Mobile optimization is key for Google Discover success. Most users access Discover on their phones, so your site needs to work well on small screens.
Some tips for mobile-friendly design:
• Use a responsive layout that adjusts to screen size
• Make text easy to read without zooming
• Ensure buttons and links are big enough to tap
• Speed up load times by compressing images and using caching
Test your site’s mobile-friendliness with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool. Fix any issues it finds to improve your chances of appearing in Discover.
Compelling Headlines and Titles
Your headlines and titles need to grab attention fast. Users scroll quickly through Discover, so you only have a second to make an impression.
Tips for writing great headlines:
• Use numbers (e.g. “5 Ways to…”)
• Ask questions
• Include power words like “amazing” or “essential”
• Keep it short – around 60 characters max
Descriptive, click-worthy titles can boost your chances of being featured in Discover. But avoid clickbait – your content should deliver on what the headline promises.
Utilizing High-Quality Images
Images play a huge role in Google Discover. Large, high-quality visuals catch the eye and make users more likely to tap on your content.
Some image best practices:
• Use high-resolution photos (at least 1200 pixels wide)
• Choose eye-catching, relevant images
• Optimize file sizes to keep load times fast
• Add descriptive alt text for accessibility
Avoid stock photos if possible. Original, unique images tend to perform better in Discover.
Employing Structured Data
Structured data helps Google understand what your content is about. This can boost your chances of appearing in Discover for relevant topics.
Key types of structured data for Discover:
• Article markup
• Video markup
• Recipe markup
• Event markup
Use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper to add the right code to your pages. Then test it with the Rich Results Test tool to make sure it’s working correctly.
Structured data won’t guarantee Discover success, but it gives you an edge by making your content easier for Google to categorize and recommend to the right users.
Leveraging Multimedia Content
Google Discover loves visual content. Adding videos and web stories can boost your chances of getting featured. These formats grab attention and keep users engaged.
Adding Video Content
Videos can help your content stand out in Google Discover. Choose eye-catching thumbnails to draw users in. Keep your videos short and focused on a single topic.
Make sure your video titles are clear and descriptive. Use relevant tags and categories to help Google understand what your video is about.
Host your videos on YouTube for the best results. Google owns YouTube, so these videos often get preferential treatment in Discover.
Don’t forget to add captions to your videos. This makes them accessible to more users and provides extra text for Google to analyze.
Incorporating Web Stories
Web Stories are a mobile-first format that’s perfect for Google Discover. They’re like Instagram Stories but for the web. Web Stories are full-screen, tappable experiences that load quickly.
Create visually appealing Stories with a mix of text, images, and short video clips. Keep each page of your Story simple and easy to understand at a glance.
Make sure your Web Stories are at least 5 pages long. This gives users enough content to engage with. But don’t make them too long – 30 pages is usually the max.
Add your brand logo and use consistent colors to make your Stories recognizable. End with a call-to-action that encourages users to visit your website or read more.
Maximizing Visibility on Google Discover
Google Discover offers a great way to reach new readers. By focusing on a few key areas, you can boost your content‘s chances of appearing in this personalized feed.
Utilizing AMP for Faster Loading
AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) can help your content load faster on mobile devices. This speed boost is important for Google Discover. To use AMP:
- Add AMP HTML to your pages
- Include proper metadata
- Validate your AMP pages
AMP pages often show up more in Discover feeds. They load almost instantly, which users love. This quick loading time can lead to more engagement with your content.
Setting Max-Image-Preview
Images play a big role in Google Discover. To make your images stand out:
- Use high-quality, eye-catching images
- Set the “max-image-preview
” directive
This directive tells Google it’s okay to show large image previews of your content. To add it, put this line in your site’s
section:<meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:large">
Large images grab attention and can boost click-through rates in Discover.
Curating for the Content Feed
Google Discover aims to show users fresh, interesting content. To appeal to this feed:
- Create timely, relevant articles
- Use clear, engaging headlines
- Focus on topics people care about
It’s also key to keep your content up-to-date. Refresh old articles with new info. This can help them show up in Discover again.
Remember to write for your audience, not just for SEO. Engaging, helpful content is more likely to be picked up by Discover.
Optimizing Technical SEO Aspects
Technical SEO plays a big role in Google Discover success. It helps pages load fast and work well on phones. These factors can boost visibility in Discover feeds.
Google Search Console Insights
Google Search Console (GSC) gives helpful data about Discover performance. Website owners can see how many clicks and views their content gets in Discover. They can also check which pages show up most often.
GSC shows trends over time. This helps spot what content does well.
Site owners can use these insights to make more of the content types that succeed. They should look at the “Discover” tab in GSC often.
The tool also flags any issues that might hurt Discover visibility. Fixing these problems quickly is key. Regular GSC checks are a smart part of any SEO strategy.
Addressing Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are speed and user experience measures. They affect how sites show up in Discover. The main Core Web Vitals are:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
- First Input Delay (FID)
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Good scores in these areas can boost Discover visibility. Site owners should aim for “good” ratings in all three.
Tools like PageSpeed Insights help check Core Web Vitals. They also give tips to fix issues.
Common fixes include:
- Optimizing images
- Improving server response times
- Reducing JavaScript execution time
Regular tests and updates keep Core Web Vitals strong. This can lead to better performance in Google Discover.
The Role of Social Factors
Social signals play a big part in how Google Discover chooses content. User engagement and a site’s authority on topics can boost visibility in Discover feeds.
Engagement Metrics
Google looks at how people interact with content to decide what to show in Discover. Click-through rate (CTR) is key. A high CTR means more people find your content interesting. This can lead to more impressions in Discover feeds.
Clicks and time spent on page also matter. If users click on your content and stay a while, Google sees it as valuable.
Try to:
• Write catchy headlines
• Use eye-catching images
• Create content that keeps readers engaged
Social shares can help too. When people share your content, it signals that it’s worth showing to others.
Building Topical Authority
Being seen as an expert in your field helps with Discover. To build topical authority:
• Make lots of high-quality content on your main topics
• Get links from other respected sites in your niche
• Use clear, consistent categories and tags on your site
Google likes to show content from sites it trusts. By focusing on your key topics, you tell Google you’re an authority. This can lead to more of your content appearing in Discover feeds.
Keep your content fresh and up-to-date. Google Discover often favors recent, relevant information on hot topics.
Strategies for Sustainable Growth
Growing your presence on Google Discover takes time and effort. These strategies can help you build lasting success and keep your content visible to users.
Monitoring Organic Traffic
Keep a close eye on your organic traffic from Google Discover. Use Google Analytics to track visits from the Discover feed. Look at which topics and content types get the most views.
Pay attention to user engagement metrics like time on page and bounce rate. These show if people find your content useful. Try to spot trends in what works best.
Update your top-performing content regularly. This can help it stay fresh and relevant in Discover feeds. Remove or improve posts that don’t get much traffic.
Set up alerts for big changes in Discover traffic. This lets you react quickly to algorithm updates or other shifts.
Benchmarking Against Competitors
Find out how you stack up against others in your field.
Look at competitors who show up often in Discover. What topics do they cover? How often do they post?
Use tools like SEMrush to see estimates of their Discover traffic. This gives you goals to aim for.
Don’t copy their exact tactics, but learn from what works.
Ask an industry expert for tips on standing out in Discover.
They might spot areas where you can improve.
Try new content types your rivals aren’t using yet. This could help you grab more Discover spots.
Test different headlines, images, and topics to see what clicks with users.
Keep tabs on your share of voice in key topic areas. If it drops, step up your content game to stay competitive.