Google Discover Feed for SEO Success
What is Google Discover Feed?
Google Discover is a personalized content feed that serves up articles, news, videos, and other content to users based on their interests, previous search behavior, and interactions with Google services. It's available primarily on mobile devices through the Google app and Google.com. What makes Google Discover unique is that it doesn't require a search query to be initiated by the user. Instead, it predicts what users might be interested in, providing content from around the web in a highly tailored and visually rich format.
Google Discover has gained significant attention due to its ability to drive substantial organic traffic to websites, making it a critical component for modern SEO strategies. Unlike Google Search, where users find content based on search queries, Google Discover pushes content proactively to users without them having to search for it.
The Benefits of Google Discover from an SEO Perspective
When used correctly, Google Discover can become a powerful traffic generator, often sending more visitors to your site than traditional search. Here are some key benefits from an SEO perspective:
Massive Traffic Potential
Google Discover reaches millions of users daily. Content that performs well on the platform can experience a massive traffic surge. In some cases, a single post that resonates with the algorithm can drive more visitors than organic search, especially because Discover allows for rich media content like high-quality images and videos to stand out.
Engaging Visual Content
Google Discover favors content that includes high-quality images, video, and other multimedia elements. By optimizing your content to include rich visuals, you increase the likelihood of appearing in the Discover feed. This can help drive engagement, which indirectly supports your SEO efforts by increasing time on page and lowering bounce rates.
Non-Query-Based Discovery
With traditional SEO, optimizing content for specific search queries is essential. However, Google Discover isn’t tied to queries. It’s designed to deliver content based on user interests and previous browsing behavior. This means your content can reach audiences that may not have searched for the topic directly, allowing you to tap into a larger potential audience.
Topical Relevance
Google Discover loves content that is relevant to trending topics or evergreen interests. It pulls in articles that match user profiles based on a wide range of factors, including trending news, entertainment, sports, and more. For SEO specialists, this presents an opportunity to align content strategies with trending topics or create long-lasting, high-quality content that resonates with users over time.
Personalization and Intent Targeting
The key to success in Google Discover is personalization. By analyzing user behavior, Discover pushes highly targeted content to the right audience at the right time. This means that if your content fits the interests of a particular user segment, you have the potential to reach people who are genuinely interested in your content, resulting in better engagement rates and higher-quality traffic.
Best Practices for Optimizing Your Content for Google Discover
To leverage Google Discover effectively, you must focus on a mix of high-quality content, visuals, and user experience. Here are some critical strategies to keep in mind:
Create Evergreen and Trending Content
Discover promotes content that's both trending and evergreen. Create a balance between content that taps into current trends and topics that can deliver consistent traffic over time. Staying updated with current events or creating content with a long shelf-life ensures that your material has the potential to perform well on Google Discover.
Use High-Quality Visuals
Google Discover is a highly visual platform, so it's essential to use large, eye-catching images and videos. Ensure images are at least 1,200 pixels wide and optimized for both load time and quality. Google also prefers content from sites where large images are accessible for use in the Discover feed. Read more in our Image SEO guide.
Optimize for Mobile
Since Google Discover is primarily used on mobile devices, it's crucial to ensure your website is mobile-friendly. Pages that load slowly or aren't responsive will likely perform poorly. Use tools like Google's Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure your site delivers a smooth experience on smaller screens.
E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness)
Content quality is crucial for Google Discover, as the platform surfaces material based on Google’s E-A-T guidelines. Ensure your site has clear author profiles, external links to authoritative sources, and trustworthy content. Sites that display expertise, authority, and trustworthiness are more likely to be featured.
Focus on Click-Worthy Headlines
Although Google Discover doesn’t require users to search for content, compelling headlines remain critical for grabbing attention. Your headlines should be informative but also engaging. Avoid clickbait, as Google aims to provide a quality user experience, and misleading headlines could hurt your site's long-term Discover performance.
Maintain Fresh Content
While evergreen content can perform well over time, maintaining a flow of fresh content helps sustain your site’s visibility in Google Discover. New articles, especially those that align with current events or trends, are more likely to be picked up by the feed. Consistency is key—regularly updating your blog or news sections can pay off.
Encourage Engagement
User engagement metrics like click-through rates (CTR) and time spent on a page may influence how often your content appears in Google Discover. Create content that encourages readers to stay longer, such as in-depth articles, infographics, or videos. Implement calls to action within your content that foster interaction and keep users engaged.
Monitoring Google Discover Performance
You can track your content's performance in Google Discover through Google Search Console. The Search Console provides a dedicated section for Discover data, showing impressions, clicks, and average CTR. Monitoring this data allows you to adjust your content strategy for maximum visibility in Discover.
Regularly reviewing these metrics helps you identify patterns—such as which types of content perform best—so you can fine-tune your future output to align with what Discover is looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions About Google Discover
Can I optimize for Google Discover the same way I optimize for Google Search?
No, Google Discover is different from traditional Google Search. While keyword optimization is essential for search, Google Discover relies on broader content relevance, user interests, and personalization. Focus on high-quality visuals, trending and evergreen content, and engagement.
Does Google Discover traffic impact my organic rankings?
Google Discover operates independently from search rankings, and while it can drive significant traffic, it doesn’t directly influence organic rankings. However, higher user engagement and increased time on site from Discover traffic can indirectly help with overall SEO.
What type of content works best in Google Discover?
Content that is visually rich, engaging, and either timely or evergreen works best. News articles, tutorials, entertainment, sports, health topics, and lifestyle content often perform well in Google Discover.
Can I target a specific audience in Google Discover?
You cannot target specific audiences as you would with Google Ads, but you can influence who sees your content based on the topics you cover and the interests you appeal to. Personalization occurs on the user’s side, so creating content that appeals to broad or niche interests can help your visibility.
How often should I update my site to remain visible on Google Discover?
There’s no set frequency, but updating your site regularly with fresh, high-quality content increases your chances of being featured. It's essential to find a balance between publishing evergreen content and responding to trending topics to maintain relevance.
A Word on Hike SEO
Navigating the intricacies of SEO, including opportunities like Google Discover, requires a smart and evolving strategy. Hike SEO simplifies this process by providing all the tools and insights you need to grow your organic traffic. Our platform offers tailored solutions that help you rank higher on search engines and leverage new channels like Google Discover.
Ready to take your SEO to the next level? Get started with Hike SEO today and unlock the potential of Discover for your business.