Story Based Question
You’re managing a content website and have been focusing on improving your SEO strategy to reach more readers. One day, you notice a few articles of yours are popping up in Google Discover, bringing in unexpected traffic. Curious about how this happened, you start researching Google Discover. You realize that optimizing for this feature could bring a significant boost to your traffic, especially from mobile users. But then, you wonder: What exactly is Google Discover, and how can you optimize your site for it to improve your reach on mobile devices?
Exact Answer
Google Discover is a feed on mobile devices that shows personalized content to users based on their interests, search history, and engagement. To optimize for it, focus on high-quality, engaging content, fast-loading mobile pages, and strong visual elements like images.
Explanation
Google Discover is a feature available primarily on mobile devices within the Google app (and also on mobile browsers), designed to deliver personalized content to users based on their preferences, search behavior, and previous interactions with websites. It’s like a feed of recommendations—news, blog posts, videos, and other types of content—designed to catch the user’s attention without them needing to search.
To make your content appear in Google Discover and optimize for mobile users, there are a few key factors to consider:
1. Create High-Quality Content
Google Discover favors content that’s highly engaging, informative, and relevant to the user. This includes articles, blog posts, videos, and other media that appeal to the interests of the target audience. The content needs to be fresh, compelling, and align with trending topics, which increases the chances of being featured.
How it impacts optimization:
Content with strong user engagement (e.g., high clicks, shares, and comments) signals to Google that the content is valuable and should appear in users’ Discover feeds. High-quality content is essential for improving visibility in Google Discover, especially on mobile devices, where users are looking for quick, interesting reads.
2. Focus on Mobile Optimization
Since Google Discover is primarily used on mobile devices, optimizing your content for mobile users is crucial. This means making sure your pages are responsive, load quickly, and provide a smooth experience for mobile users.
How it impacts optimization:
Google prefers websites that are mobile-friendly and provide a good user experience. If your website isn’t mobile-optimized, it’s less likely to show up in Google Discover. Ensuring that your site loads fast, has a mobile-optimized layout, and works well on various screen sizes will improve your chances of being discovered.
3. Use Engaging Visuals
Google Discover places a strong emphasis on visuals—especially images and videos. Posts that feature attractive, high-quality images (or videos) are more likely to catch users’ attention as they scroll through the Discover feed. You should include images that are at least 1200 pixels wide and properly optimized.
How it impacts optimization:
Engaging visuals are crucial for standing out in Google Discover’s feed. If your content doesn’t include eye-catching images, users may scroll past it without stopping. By using visually appealing images that are properly optimized, you increase the chances of your content being featured and clicked on by mobile users.
4. Leverage Structured Data and Schema Markup
Google Discover uses structured data and schema markup to understand the content of your pages. This helps Google better categorize and display your content in Discover feeds. For example, using schema for articles, news, and blog posts will make it easier for Google to feature your content.
How it impacts optimization:
Implementing structured data on your pages improves how Google interprets your content, making it more likely to show up in Discover. The right schema markup can provide additional details like author names, publication dates, and more, which helps Google better understand your content and present it to the right audience.
5. Update Content Regularly
Google Discover tends to favor fresh content—especially content that’s relevant to current trends or topics. Regularly updating and publishing new content can increase your visibility in Discover, as Google is more likely to push fresh, trending articles to users.
How it impacts optimization:
By consistently publishing fresh content, you’re increasing the likelihood that your articles will be featured in Discover. Whether it’s new blog posts, updated articles, or time-sensitive news, Google will prioritize new and timely content in users’ feeds, leading to more exposure and traffic.
Example
Imagine you run a travel blog, and you want to optimize your site for Google Discover to attract more mobile users. Here’s how you can apply the strategies:
- Create High-Quality Content:
You write a detailed blog post about a trending destination, providing useful tips and recommendations. The content is well-researched, informative, and written in an engaging way that encourages users to read and share. Since it’s a popular topic, it’s likely to attract interest from readers who are actively seeking travel inspiration.SEO Impact:
Your well-crafted, engaging post increases the chances of appearing in Google Discover. Readers are more likely to click and share it, leading to higher visibility. - Focus on Mobile Optimization:
Your travel blog is designed to be fully responsive. Images resize according to the screen size, and the text is easy to read on mobile devices. You also ensure that your pages load quickly, so users don’t have to wait.SEO Impact:
With a mobile-optimized design, your content performs well on mobile devices. Google Discover prioritizes mobile-friendly sites, and because your blog is optimized, it’s more likely to be featured in the feed. - Use Engaging Visuals:
You include high-quality images of the destination you’re writing about. These images are at least 1200 pixels wide and optimized for fast loading. You also add a short video showcasing the destination’s highlights.SEO Impact:
The captivating visuals in your post attract mobile users in Google Discover. They stop scrolling and click on your article because of the stunning imagery and video, leading to better engagement. - Leverage Structured Data and Schema Markup:
You implement article schema on your blog post to help Google better understand the content and context. This allows Google to display your article with additional metadata like the author, publication date, and a brief summary in the Discover feed.SEO Impact:
With structured data in place, Google better understands your content and can present it in a more appealing way to users. This boosts your chances of appearing in Google Discover’s feed. - Update Content Regularly:
You publish a new blog post every week, and you frequently update older content to reflect the latest travel trends and tips.SEO Impact:
By consistently offering fresh and relevant content, your blog stays active in Google’s algorithms. This continuous flow of new content increases your chances of being recommended in the Discover feed.
Optimizing for Google Discover on mobile means creating engaging, mobile-optimized content that loads quickly, includes attractive visuals, and uses structured data to help Google understand your content. By focusing on these elements, you improve your chances of being featured in the personalized Discover feed, driving more traffic to your site.