Google’s Discover feed presents mobile users with content based on their preferences. For publications that have successfully managed to get their content featured, the Discover feed can drive a massive amount of traffic. However, there is no way to create content that can specifically target Discover’s interest.
Although there are certain things, you can do to elevate rank in Google Discover. Below are some of the tactics publishers can use to strengthen their chances to rank in Google Discover.
Use emotional titles, not just catchy taglines
According to some research, emotional titles perform better in comparison to clickbait. If you promise the users something and they don’t find it on the website, Google can recognize this very well. There is a hairline difference between clickbait and titles with an emotional appeal. So, when you have an ecommerce website with mobile app, make sure you write something beyond revenue.
Include high-quality visuals
There are certain things you should pay attention to when it comes to visuals. Your large-sized images should be at least 1200 pixels and enabled by AMP. This individual practice can increase your CTR by two to three times.
- Avoid using a site logo on your website.
- Ideally, use a 16:9 aspect ratio.
- Avoid heavily manipulated media.
- Use a descriptive and catchy caption.
Enhance E-A-T signals
While Search and Discover are different products but the E-A-T principles applies to both of them. E-A-T stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. So, this is undoubtedly going to be a part of the Google evaluation process.
Incorporating E-A-T with your content can help you convince Google that it is free of misinformation, reliable and serves the users well. You can also consider optimizing your author pages. The content guidelines remain the same for websites and b2b ecommerce mobile apps. Consider doing the following to bolster your E-A-T.
- Use HTTPs to secure your website.
- Include bylines, dates and information about authors in your blogs or articles.
- Include contact information for higher transparency and trust.
- Try to provide a link to the author’s social media profile.
- Provide brief information about the publisher, the publication, and the company behind it.
Use the API to identify entities and topics that can support your brand
Now Discover data is available in the Google Search Console Analytics API; publishers can use Google’s natural language processing to identify the content that interests their audience and work for their publications.
Once you get the topics that can work for your brand, try to double down on them. These topics can be easily sorted by CTR, impressions, or number of pages. Sorting by impressions shows you the topics in which you can have higher visibility. Ordering by CTR can tell you the most engaging topics.
Refresh your content
Regularly updating your content can help drive additional Discover traffic. Publishers should try to use the same URL and tweak the headline time and again. The following image shows how clicks are spiked every time the content is refreshed.
Understand your Google Discover data thoroughly
Establishing a baseline contextualizes your data and informs you about which stories performed better. So, it is crucial to understand:
- Average impressions per story
- Average CTR per category; and
- Average life span per story
It is crucial to understand that traffic from Discover is categorized as ‘Direct’ in Google Analytics. Pay attention to Google Discover because it contributes a hefty amount of direct traffic in Google Analytics.
Final words
Well, you shouldn’t get addicted to Google Discover traffic. Since it is not predictable, it shouldn’t be a part of the core SEO strategy. While the additional traffic coming from Discover will certainly help, you can’t rely solely on it for a consistent traffic stream.
