How Google Discover Picks Articles: A Comprehensive Guide

Google Discover is a personalized content feed that shows users articles, videos, and news based on their interests and online behavior. Unlike traditional search results, where users input a query, Discover proactively suggests content, making it a powerful tool for publishers to drive organic traffic.

But the big question is: How does Google Discover pick articles to surface in user’s feed?

In this article, we’ll explore the key factors that influence Google Discover’s selection of content and how you can optimize your articles to appear in the Google Discover feed.

1. Understanding How Google Discover Works

Google Discover doesn’t rely on keywords or search queries; instead, it uses a combination of machine learning, user data, and content relevance to deliver personalized recommendations. Here’s how it works:

• User’s Interests: Google tracks what users are interested in based on their search history, activity on Google apps, YouTube interactions, and other online behaviors.
• Contextual Signals: Google also analyzes what’s trending across the web to ensure it surfaces fresh and timely content.
• Personalization: Each user’s feed is tailored, showing them articles that align with their preferences, making Google Discover a dynamic, ever-changing platform.

2. Key Signals Google Discover Uses to Pick Articles

There are several signals that influence how Google Discover selects which articles to show:

A. Content Signals

The quality of your content is a critical factor. Google Discover favors:

• Relevance: Your content must align with trending topics or user interests. Writing articles on popular or emerging topics can increase your chances of being featured.
• Engagement: Articles that have high engagement metrics (such as time spent on page, shares, and comments) are more likely to be picked by Google Discover.
• Freshness: While Discover can surface older content, there is a strong preference for fresh, timely articles, especially for news and trending topics.

B. Brand Signals

Google Discover tends to favor content from authoritative sources. Building your brand’s authority and trust is crucial. Here are some factors that affect brand signals:

• E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): Google values content from established brands or individuals with proven expertise in their field. High quality backlinks from relevant and high authority sites will boost credibility of the website.
• User Trust: Publications with a strong user base and positive engagement tend to have their articles shown more often.
• Consistent Posting: Regularly publishing high-quality content helps build a steady presence in Discover feeds.

C. Buzz Signals

Google Discover looks at how much buzz your article is generating on social platforms or other external sources:

• Social Traffic: Articles that are shared widely on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or Reddit are more likely to be featured in Discover.
• Direct Traffic: If your article is receiving a lot of direct visits, Google considers it a sign of popularity. Email newsletters and push notifications will help to achieve this.
• Paid promotions: Promoting newly published articles with paid ads for 3-5 days, will help your articles receive an initial boost.

These signals work together to determine whether your content will be picked by Google Discover. However, it’s essential to note that simply meeting these signals doesn’t guarantee placement.

3. Steps to Optimize Your Articles for Google Discover

To improve your chances of appearing in Google Discover, follow these actionable steps:

A. Target Trending Topics

Keep an eye on what’s trending in your industry. Writing about timely and relevant topics increases your chances of being discovered. Tools like Google Trends can help you identify these trends early.

B. Create High Quality Content and Improve Your E-E-A-T

Google highly values authoritative and trustworthy content. Ensure your articles are backed by credible sources, use factual data, and are written by experts in the field.

Follow common SEO best practices like on page SEO and technical SEO. Because Google Discover algorithm uses some of the Google Search algorithm signals to determine quality of a web page.

• Author Profiles: Clearly showcase your author’s expertise. If you’re publishing under your own name, establish your personal brand through credentials, experience, and social proof.
• Citations: Link to reliable sources to validate your claims.
• Internal linking: Link to closely related content on your website to build Topical Authority.

C. Optimize for Engagement

User engagement is a strong indicator of value. Here’s how you can boost engagement:

• Use Intriguing Headlines: Catchy titles that provoke curiosity can increase clicks. However, avoid clickbait as it may lead to a high bounce rate, which can negatively affect your Discover performance.
• Incorporate Visuals: Articles with high-quality images and videos perform better in Discover. Use engaging visuals that complement your content.

D. Boost Social Sharing

If your article is receiving a lot of shares on social media, it increases its chances of being picked by Google Discover. Promote your articles on social platforms and encourage readers to share.

• Utilize Share Buttons: Make it easy for readers to share your content with one click.
• Leverage Influencers: Collaborate with industry influencers who can amplify your content.

E. Ensure Mobile-Friendliness

Google Discover primarily serves mobile users, so your site’s mobile performance is critical. Ensure your pages load quickly, are responsive, and provide a seamless user experience across devices.

F. Focus on Visual Appeal

Google Discover often highlights articles with rich visuals. Ensure that your featured images are high-quality, engaging, and relevant to the content.

Image Optimization: Use large, clear images with a minimum width of 1200px to comply with Google Discover’s image guidelines. Use max-image-preview: Large tag for images.

4. Proven Strategies to Get Featured in Google Discover

A. Produce High-Quality, Trend-Based Content

Google Discover thrives on trending topics. Regularly monitor Google Trends and news outlets to identify emerging topics in your niche. Writing timely, high-quality content related to these trends gives you a competitive advantage.

Tip: Include original insights or a unique perspective on trending topics to set your article apart from others.

B. Build Your Brand’s Authority

• Author Bio Pages: Include detailed author bio pages that highlight expertise and credentials. This not only helps with SEO but also reinforces trust with both Google and users.
• Secure Backlinks from Reputable Sources: Backlinks from credible sites boost your domain authority, which positively affects your Discover performance.

C. Increase User Engagement

Boosting engagement metrics on your site is key to Google Discover’s algorithm. Use the following tactics to increase user interaction:

• Create Compelling Headlines: Your title should grab attention while clearly communicating the value of the article. Avoid clickbait, as Google penalizes articles that disappoint users after clicking.
• Encourage Social Sharing: Place visible social sharing buttons on your articles to make it easy for readers to share your content.

D. Leverage Structured Data

Using structured data helps Google better understand the content of your page, which can enhance your chances of being picked by Discover.

• Article Markup: Implement proper schema markup for articles to help Google recognize your content as suitable for news and Discover feeds.
• Open Graph Tags: Ensure your Open Graph tags are properly set up for social platforms. This helps improve how your content is displayed when shared, driving more engagement and clicks.

E. Optimize for Core Web Vitals

Ensure that your website delivers a fast and seamless user experience. Improving your Core Web Vitals can give you a significant edge:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This measures how quickly the largest content element loads on your site. Aim for under 2.5 seconds.
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): INP measures the overall responsiveness of a page, focusing on how quickly the page responds to user interactions over its entire lifespan. A good INP score is under 200 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Avoid unexpected shifts in your page layout, which can frustrate users

5. What Not to Do: Avoiding Pitfalls

While optimizing for Discover, there are a few common mistakes to avoid:

• Overloading with Ads: Google penalizes sites with intrusive ads that detract from the user experience. Ensure your ads don’t overpower the content.
• Using Clickbait Titles: While catchy headlines are crucial, misleading or sensational titles can lead to high bounce rates, reducing your chances of appearing in Discover again.
• Neglecting Page Speed: Slow-loading pages can hurt your chances of being featured, as Google prioritizes fast, smooth experiences.

6. Case Study: My Success with Google Discover

In one of my recent projects, I enabled Google Discover for a brand-new site within 7 days, and within 15 days, the site attracted 50,000 visitors through Discover alone. How did I achieve this?

By carefully implementing the strategies discussed here—targeting trending topics, optimizing for engagement, driving initial traffic with social media promotions and paid promotions, and building trust signals.

This success proves that with the right content strategy and optimization, you can tap into the immense potential of Google Discover traffic.

7. Final thoughts

Getting your articles picked by Google Discover requires a combination of quality content, authority, engagement, and relevance.

By focusing on delivering value to your readers and following best practices, you can significantly boost your chances of appearing in Discover feeds and driving massive organic traffic to your site.

For a deeper dive into driving traffic from Google Discover, check out my ebook, “Unlock The Power of Google Discover” where I walk you through a step-by-step guide and share more detailed insights from my experiences as a Google Discover consultant.

If you need personalized consultation or help optimizing your content strategy, feel free to reach out at: getondiscover@gmail.com.