Publishers sometimes treat Google News optimisation as a technical switch that can be turned on.
It is more complicated than that.
Technical configuration matters, but it sits alongside editorial quality, transparency, authority and the way the publication is maintained over time.
No developer or SEO provider can guarantee Google News visibility.
Publishers can, however, remove avoidable technical problems and make the publication easier for search systems to understand.
Make the Publisher Easy to Identify
A professional publication should clearly explain who operates it.
Readers should be able to find:
- About information;
- contact information;
- editorial policies where relevant;
- privacy information;
- author information.
Do not hide the organisation behind vague marketing copy.
Transparency also makes it easier for search systems to understand the source of the content.
Identify Authors Clearly
Articles should state who produced them.
Where articles are written by individual journalists, provide useful author information.
Where appropriate organisational content is published directly by the publication, organisational authorship can be used accurately.
Do not create fictional writers simply to fill author pages.
Use Real Publication and Update Dates
Show when an article was originally published.
If an article is materially updated, show the update clearly.
Do not continuously change dates merely to make old content appear new.
Minor spelling or formatting edits do not necessarily justify presenting an article as newly updated.
Use Appropriate Article Structured Data
Structured data can help communicate information such as:
- headline;
- author;
- publisher;
- publication date;
- modification date;
- image.
Markup must match information visible on the page.
Do not use schema to claim information that the reader cannot verify.
Maintain Clean Sitemaps
Sitemaps should contain useful canonical URLs.
Avoid filling them with:
- redirects;
- 404 pages;
- duplicate URLs;
- noindex pages;
- low-value parameter URLs.
Large publishers may require multiple sitemap files depending on archive size and publishing frequency.
Build Useful Category Structures
Categories should represent real editorial subjects.
Do not create a new category or tag for every slightly different phrase.
A strong category should help the reader find a meaningful collection of related reporting.
Keep Important Stories Connected
Articles often receive their strongest internal links while they are on the homepage.
Once they move into the archive, those links can disappear.
Use topic pages, category pages, related coverage, contextual links and evergreen guides to keep useful content connected.
Improve Mobile Performance
Many readers arrive from mobile search or social media.
Heavy advertising, video players, popups and third-party scripts can make an otherwise good article difficult to use.
Test the complete article experience.
Optimise Images Properly
Use good-quality images at appropriate sizes.
Provide accurate filenames where practical, ALT text, dimensions, captions and credits.
Do not stuff keywords into ALT attributes.
Google Discover Is Different
Discover visibility depends heavily on user interests and Google's systems.
There is no guaranteed method for inclusion.
Useful practices still include strong original content, accurate headlines, quality imagery, mobile performance, clear authorship and a trustworthy publication.
Avoid clickbait headlines that misrepresent the story.
SEO Cannot Replace Journalism
Technical SEO can remove obstacles.
It cannot turn weak or copied material into a strong publication.
The best technical platform gives original reporting and useful editorial work a better chance to be understood and discovered.