How To Appear In Google Discover: A Guide

Google Discover has fast become a major player in how users consume digital content.

According to Google, over 800 million people use Discover monthly, making it one of the most powerful sources of organic traffic today.

Unlike traditional search, Discover offers a ‘queryless’ experience, delivering personalised content feeds based on individual interests, past searches, and browsing behaviour. 

It’s less about what users type into a search bar and more about what they’re likely to find useful, before they even ask for it. 

This is a powerful opportunity for content creators and publishers as getting featured in Google Discover can increase your reach, potentially driving organic traffic to your website. 

This isn’t something you can control with a simple tweak, but even though Discover traffic is unpredictable, that doesn’t mean that you’re powerless. 

We’ll break down how to appear in Google Discover below, going over SEO tips and strategies to increase the chances of your content featuring on the platform.

Understanding Google Discover

Before we dive into optimisation strategies, it’s important to understand exactly what Google Discover is – and just as crucially, what it’s not.

Google Discover isn’t your typical search engine. Unlike Google Search or Google News, which rely on users entering queries, Discover flips the script. It surfaces content before you look for it, offering a curated stream of articles, updates and videos based on your online behaviour. 

This feed appears primarily on mobile devices through the Google app or the Chrome browser’s New Tab page. The result is a visually rich experience which blends entertainment, lifestyle, and news into one scroll.

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A Personalised Experience For Each User

One of the most fascinating aspects of Google Discover is just how personal the experience is. Unlike traditional search results, which are broadly the same for most users typing in the same query, Discover is unique to each individual. 

Google states, ‘If someone is no longer as interested in a particular topic, perhaps reflected by a decline in searching for it, their Discover feed might show other content they’re more interested in.’

The platform doesn’t just consider your general interests, it evaluates your depth of knowledge in a subject. 

If you’re new to a topic, you might see introductory articles or beginner-friendly content. 

On the other hand, if you’re shown repeated interest or expertise in a subject, Discover will begin serving more advanced pieces. 

This personalised approach means that no two users will see the exact same feed, and your content won’t appear to everyone at once, even if it’s performing well. That said, once someone does click through to your content, you’ve taken an important step towards building a relationship with that user. 

Engagement signals, like spending time on your website or interacting with more of your articles, help Google better understand the user’s interest in your brand. This increases the likelihood that your future content will be recommended to them again. 

How To Get On Google Discover

There’s no guaranteed formula for getting featured on Google Discover, but there are clear patterns in the kind of content that performs well.  

Think of it as an extension of solid SEO: great content, a smooth user experience, and following Google’s guidelines are all essential. But if you’re aiming for Discover, some specific best practices can help improve your chances of being featured. 

If you’re wondering how to appear on Google Discover, you’ll need to:

1. Create high-quality content
2. Improve E-E-A-T
3. Make visual content
4. Stay current and leverage evergreen content

Let’s explore these in more detail.

1. Create High Quality Content

The core of getting featured in Google Discover is a simple truth: your content has to be excellent. Not just good, but better than the rest. 

When you’re competing for space in a limited feed, generic or shallow posts won’t cut it. You need to offer real value. 

Start by understanding your audience deeply. What are they searching for? What problems are they trying to solve? Use that insight to create content that is informative, easy to digest, and enjoyable to read. 

Pay attention to your competition as well. If similar sites are showing up in Discover, look closely at what they’re doing right. Analyse their format, tone, visuals, and the angles that they’re taking. What’s drawing attention, and how can you build on that, in your own voice?

Put yourself in your user’s shoes. Try curating a Discover feed from their perspective to understand what they might see and respond to. 

For instance, if you run a travel blog, you could use the ‘follow’ and ‘interests’ Discover features to follow topics like backpacking destinations or travel gear reviews. 

This helps you explore the type of content your target audience would likely see, helping you understand what kind of content is more likely to capture their attention in the Discover feed. 

2. Improve E-E-A-T

If there’s one thing Google values across all its platforms, including Discover, it’s trust. That’s where E-E-A-T comes in: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These are key indicators Google uses to judge the quality and credibility of your content. 

Discover doesn’t work exactly like Search, but the principles behind E-E-A-T still apply. Sites that consistently publish reliable, well-informed, and credible content are more likely to be surfaced in Discover feeds.

This is especially crucial for websites in sensitive niches, which Google calls ‘Your Money or Your Life’ (YMYL) content.

As Google puts it, “Our systems give more weight to content that aligns with strong E-E-A-T for topics that could significantly impact the health, financial stability, or safety of people.” 

In these cases, showing your qualifications, citing reputable sources, and being transparent about who you are and why you’re credible is essential. 

Some tips to build E-E-A-T into your content include:

• Demonstrate first-hand experience through case studies or real-world examples.
• Earn authoritative backlinks from respected websites.
• Highlighting author credentials to make clear who is behind the content.
• Linking to reputable sources to support claims with evidence.
• Including detailed bios for contributors to build authority and trust.

You can find more about demonstrating E-E-A-T with our post on What Is E-E-A-T in SEO: A Comprehensive Guide.

3. Make Content Visual

Discover is a highly visual feed, and users scroll quickly, making snap decisions based on what grabs their eye. That means your featured image often acts as the hook. If it doesn’t stand out, your content could be scrolled past in seconds.

Google claims that large images have a higher chance of producing Discover visits, advising: ‘Large images need to be at least 1200 px wide and enabled by the max-image-preview: large setting, or by using AMF.’ 

These settings will ensure your content displays correctly in the feed, though tools like Yoast SEO can handle this automatically. 

The same goes for video. Google Discover increasingly features video content, so including well-produced, engaging videos in your posts can help boost your visibility. You don’t need a studio setup, just clear visuals, crisp audio, and valuable content. 

4. Stay Current and Leverage Evergreen Content

Google Discover thrives on fresh, relevant material, especially around trending topics or timely events. Publishing content that aligns with popular conversations or current industry news can boost your chances of appearing in the feed.

However, it’s not only breaking news that gets featured. Evergreen content, pieces that remain useful and relevant over time, can also perform well if a user’s behaviour suggests a renewed interest in that subject. 

For instance, someone reading about Mediterranean cuisine might see evergreen travel guides for Italy or Greece pop up in their feed.

Additionally, keep updating old content to stay relevant. Revisit older posts to check that facts, insights, and statistics are current. This can help with SEO and signal to Google that your site is relevant and actively maintained, which are two key factors in Discover visibility. 

How Can We Help

We hope that our guide on how to appear in Google Discover helps you start optimising your content for this powerful platform.

At Lumen SEO, we specialise in helping you increase your visibility and generate organic traffic for your website. 

We can help with a range of Discover-focused strategies, including improving E-E-A-T signals, optimising content visually, or keeping your website fresh with timely, updated content.

Get in touch with our team and let’s chat about how we can help you.