Leveraging Google Discover for Increased Visibility

Beyond the traditional search bar, there's another powerful way that Google is connecting users with content: Google Discover.

Google Discover is a personalized content feed that appears on the homepage of the Google app on mobile devices and on the Google.com homepage on mobile. Unlike traditional search, Discover is "queryless"—it proactively shows users content that it thinks they will be interested in, based on their past search history, browsing activity, and interactions with Google products.

For publishers and businesses, getting your content featured in Google Discover can be a game-changer, driving a massive amount of mobile traffic.

How is Google Discover Different from Google Search?

• Search is "pull": The user has a specific query and pulls information from Google.
• Discover is "push": Google's AI pushes content to the user that it predicts they will find interesting, without them having to search for it.

The content that performs well in Discover is often different from the content that performs well in traditional search. Discover tends to favor timely, trending, and engaging content.

How to Optimize Your Content for Google Discover

There is no way to guarantee that your content will appear in Discover. However, you can optimize your content to increase your chances by following the best practices that align with what Google is looking for.

1. Create High-Quality, Engaging Content

This is the most important factor. Discover is designed to surface content that is interesting and valuable to users. All the standard principles of good content apply: it should be well-written, authoritative, and trustworthy.

2. Focus on Topics with High User Interest (E-A-T is Key)

Discover's algorithm relies on matching content to a user's interests, which Google understands through its "Topic Layer."

• Demonstrate E-A-T: Content that demonstrates strong Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness is more likely to be featured.
• Cover Trending Topics: While evergreen content is great for search, Discover often favors content that is tied to current events, trends, or popular interests in your niche.

3. Use High-Quality, Compelling Images

Discover is a highly visual feed. The image that accompanies your article is critically important for attracting clicks.

• Use Large, High-Resolution Images: Google requires images to be at least 1200 pixels wide to be eligible for the large-format Discover thumbnail. This is a must.
• Make them Compelling: Your featured image should be eye-catching and relevant to the content of your article. Avoid using your logo as the main image.

4. Write Click-Worthy (But Not Clickbait) Headlines

Your page's title is what will appear in the Discover feed. It needs to be intriguing and make the user want to tap on it.

• Avoid Clickbait: Your headline must accurately reflect the content of your article. Misleading, sensationalized headlines will lead to a poor user experience and can get your site penalized.
• Evoke Curiosity: Ask a question or create a sense of intrigue.

5. Ensure Your Website is Mobile-Friendly

Google Discover is a mobile-only experience. Your website must provide a flawless experience on mobile devices. It needs to be fast, responsive, and easy to read. A poor mobile experience will disqualify you from appearing in Discover.

6. Build a Strong, Authoritative Website

Google is more likely to feature content from websites that it considers to be authoritative and trustworthy. This means that all your standard SEO efforts—like building a strong backlink profile and demonstrating topical authority—will also help with your Discover performance.

How to Track Your Google Discover Performance

You can easily track your traffic from Google Discover in Google Search Console.

• In the Performance report, you will see a separate report labeled Discover (it will only appear if your site has received Discover traffic in the selected time period).
• This report will show you your total clicks, impressions, and average click-through rate from Discover. You can also see which specific pages are performing best in the feed.

Conclusion

Google Discover represents a significant shift in how content is consumed, moving from reactive searching to proactive recommendations. While you can't optimize for it in the same way you do for traditional search, the path to getting featured is clear. By consistently creating high-quality, engaging content with compelling visuals and building a trustworthy, mobile-friendly site, you can increase your chances of tapping into this powerful source of mobile traffic.