Google Discover
What is Google Discover?
Google Discover is a personalised content feed that shows articles, videos and other content to users based on their interests, without them typing a search. It appears in the Google app, below the search box on the Google mobile homepage, and in some Android launchers. Discover picks content from pages that are indexed in Google and meet its content policies.
There is no keyword to target and no markup required. Discover favours timely, interesting content with large, high-quality images, and its traffic tends to come in spikes rather than a steady flow. Sites with enough Discover traffic see a separate Discover performance report in Search Console.
Why Google Discover matters for SEO
For publishers and content sites, Discover can deliver large volumes of traffic, sometimes more than search on a given day. Because it reaches people who were not searching, it is also a way to find new readers.
It is unpredictable. Plan for Discover as a bonus on top of search, not a foundation.
How to get traffic from Google Discover
- Publish timely or genuinely interesting content on topics your site covers well, written for people rather than to fill a quota.
- Use titles that describe the content accurately; Google warns against clickbait titles and misleading ones.
- Use large, compelling images at least 1200 pixels wide, and allow them with the max-image-preview:large robots setting.
- Follow E-E-A-T basics: clear authorship, dates and publisher information.
- Check the Discover report in Google Search Console to see which pages are picked up.
Google Discover example
<meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:large">Google Discover FAQ
How do I get into Google Discover?
There is nothing to apply for. Indexed pages that meet Discover’s content policies are eligible; timely, high-quality content with large images and accurate titles does best.
Why is my Discover traffic so volatile?
Discover is driven by interest and freshness, not queries, so traffic comes in spikes as stories are shown and then drop away.
Related SEO terms
Top stories is the Google results section that shows recent news articles about a query, usually as a carousel or list near the top.
Search Console Performance report
The Search Console Performance report shows clicks, impressions, CTR and average position for your site in Google Search, by query, page and more.
Content freshness is how recent and up to date a page is. Google ranks fresher content higher for queries where recency matters.
Clickbait titlesGrey hat
Clickbait titles promise more than the page delivers to win clicks. Compelling titles are fine; misleading ones are grey hat and can backfire.
E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness: the qualities Google’s quality raters look for in content.