Google Discover proactively serves content to users based on their interests without them having to search for it. This makes it an excellent opportunity for website owners to reach new audiences with their content. Let’s explore how you can optimise your website to appear in Google Discover.
Simple ways to get noticed on Discover
To increase your chances of appearing in Discover, try to meet these standards:
High-quality, engaging content
Start by focusing on topics that genuinely interest your target audience. Your content should tell a story well or provide unique insights that people care about. Discover favours content that’s timely, relevant and adds value to readers’ lives.
Creating content that resonates with readers means understanding their needs and interests. Research trending topics in your niche and find a unique angle that hasn’t been covered extensively. Personal stories, case studies and original research tend to perform particularly well on Discover.
Honest, descriptive titles
When creating page titles, make sure they accurately reflect what your content is about. Avoid clickbait tactics that might initially attract clicks but disappoint users when they actually read your content. Google’s algorithms are designed to recognise and penalise misleading titles.
Consider using emotional triggers in your titles without crossing into clickbait territory. Titles that evoke curiosity, surprise or excitement can perform well as long as the content delivers on the promise. For example, “How I doubled my website traffic in 30 days (with actual proof)” is much better than “This one trick will explode your traffic overnight!”
High-quality images
Images play a crucial role in Discover success. Use compelling, high-quality images that are at least 1200 pixels wide. These larger images are more likely to generate visits from Discover. You can enable large images by:
- Using the max-image-preview:large setting in your HTML
- Implementing AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)
Remember not to use your site logo as the main image, as this significantly reduces engagement.
For best results, use original photography or high-quality stock images that capture attention. Images with people, vibrant colours and clear focal points tend to perform better than abstract or bland images. Consider investing in a good camera or hiring a photographer for key content pieces.
Follow content policies
Ensure your content adheres to Google’s Discover content policies. Avoid tactics that manipulate appeal by catering to morbid curiosity, titillation or outrage. Don’t withhold crucial information or use exaggerated details in preview content to artificially increase appeal.
Google is particularly sensitive about content that might be considered misleading or sensationalist. Avoid making claims that aren’t substantiated or using shocking imagery just to attract clicks. Focus instead on providing genuine value that builds trust with both readers and Google.
Maintain consistent quality
Regularly publish high-quality content that aligns with your audience’s interests. Consistency signals to Google that your site is a reliable source of valuable information, increasing your chances of appearing in Discover.
Consider establishing a content calendar to ensure regular publication. Quality matters more than quantity, but aim for a consistent publishing schedule that your audience can rely on. This helps build anticipation and loyalty among your readers.
Optimise for mobile experience
Since Discover is primarily accessed on mobile devices, ensuring your website offers an excellent mobile experience is crucial. Check that your pages load quickly, text is readable without zooming, and interactive elements are easy to tap on smaller screens.
Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to identify any issues with your mobile experience. Implementing responsive design principles ensures your content looks great on any device, which is essential for Discover success.
Build topical authority
Google tends to favour content from sites that demonstrate expertise in specific topics. Rather than covering a wide range of unrelated subjects, focus on building depth in your core areas of expertise. Creating comprehensive content clusters around key topics signals to Google that your site is an authoritative source in that niche.
For example, if you run a gardening website, create in-depth content about specific plant types, seasonal gardening techniques, and related topics that establish your expertise in the field.
Use video content
Video content often performs exceptionally well in Discover. Consider creating video versions of your most popular articles or developing original video content that complements your written material. Embed these videos in your articles and ensure they’re properly optimised with descriptive titles and thumbnails.
When creating videos, aim for high production quality within your means. Even smartphone-recorded videos can perform well if they’re well-lit, clearly audible, and provide valuable information in an engaging way.
Implementing the Follow feature
The Follow feature allows users to follow your website and receive updates in the Following tab within Discover. Here’s how to optimise for it:
Step 1: Create an RSS or Atom feed
If you don’t already have one, create an RSS or Atom feed for your website. Most content management systems like WordPress offer built-in feed functionality or plugins to create one.
Step 2: Link your feed in your HTML
Add a link element in the head section of your web pages that points to your RSS feed:
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="https://example.com/rssfeed">Step 3: Ensure your feed follows guidelines
Make sure your feed follows these important guidelines:
- Don’t block your feed with your robots.txt file
- Keep your feed up-to-date
- Include descriptive titles for your feed
- Use proper redirects (3xx HTTP status codes) if you move your feed
Step 4: Optimise for multiple feeds (if applicable)
If your site covers multiple topics with separate feeds, add the most relevant feed link to each page. For example, if an article is about technology, include the technology feed link:
<html>
<head>
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="https://example.com/technology/feed/" />
</head>
<body>
<h1>What's next for Technology in 2022</h1>
</body>
</html>Monitoring your performance
Once your content starts appearing in Discover, you’ll want to track how it’s performing:
Step 1: Access Search Console
Log into Google Search Console for your website.
Step 2: Navigate to the Discover report
Find the Performance report for Discover in the left-hand menu.
Step 3: Analyse your performance
This report shows impressions, clicks and click-through rates for any of your content that has appeared in Discover in the last 16 months. Use this data to understand which types of content perform best and refine your strategy accordingly.
Step 4: Make data-driven improvements
Based on the performance data, identify patterns in your successful content and apply those insights to future content creation.
By creating genuinely helpful, engaging content and following these best practices, you can increase your chances of reaching new audiences through Google Discover and the Follow feature, bringing supplemental traffic to your website beyond traditional search.
