Google Discover: Is your business optimized? This guide is just for you!

Although SEO is a key component of online business, web administrators spend their time trying to crack Google’s organic ranking algorithms. Google Discovery, although SEOs might not be able to sleep at night over the most recent updates, is a sure-fire way to reach more people.

What is Google Discover?

Discover, which was created by Google Feed’s founder in 2018, helps approximately 800M monthly active users to explore content. Discover is a service that pushes hand-selected articles and news directly to users’ feeds, without the need to search. Google creates a profile for users and provides content that is relevant to their interests.

Online anonymity is not possible. We all leave digital footprints of our core interests. Google offers the same opportunities as your website to gain first-party data. Google offers a lot of information, with the average person performing at least three to four searches each day.

Source: Google Search Central

Google is very careful about how they create consumer profiles. Experts believe the following factors are considered when creating these blueprints.

• Google search history is unique
• History of web pages visited by your browser
• Activity in any of the installed apps
• If this information is not blocked in settings, it will be referred to as “location”.

This is enough information to help users understand their interests. Similar to social media targeted advertising and Google, Google can identify what your audience is interested in and will make every effort to satisfy them through Discovery. Your responsibility is to optimize your Discovery presence, and to ensure that your content gets pushed.

Why optimize Google Discover

Your website will attract a loyal and returning audience with Discover. Users can follow specific brands or businesses, so their content will always be available on their smartphones. This loyalty must be earned. These are the usual caveats. Be sure to appeal to your target audience and deliver content that can be trusted.

Source: Marketing charts

Discover is able to identify what users are interested in and deliver this information. Imagine that the top five websites that users visit are those of their local NFL team, their local health food store, a website about tips for runners, a website selling running shoes, and a blog that features recipes. This indicates that the user is interested in sports and fitness. This lifestyle will be reflected in the user’s Google Discovery feed.

Someone with a more leisurely lifestyle may be able to receive articles about the latest developments in technology and gadget news. Optimize your content for Discover to get your website and articles pushed onto smartphones. This is a great opportunity because Discover boasts a high CTR.

Google Discover how to optimize your website

We’ve established that Discover site traffic and conversions can be quickly tracked. How do you optimize this? This checklist contains fifteen tips and hints to increase your success rate.

1. Google’s policies must be followed

First things first. Remember that Discover is a Google property. This means you must follow the rules and regulations of the search engine. This means that you should continue to use organic SEO and page rank practices.

Although it can feel like a full-time job to keep up with Google’s algorithm updates, it is still necessary. Your website must follow standard white-hat SEO practices to maximize the potential of Discover. Your content will be less likely to be chosen by Discover if your commitment to improving page rank and quality score is shirked.

2. Register for a Google My Business Account

Another quick hack that will help you get tangible results is this: Google wants users to have the best and most relevant connections. A GMB account is a sign of quality if you use Discover for ecommerce. Discover will be more likely to select you if your profile is active, especially if it boasts positive reviews and organic growth.

3. Ensure mobile compatibility

Mobile compatibility is a key consideration when evaluating different web design options. Although this seems obvious, Discovery is a mobile-centric platform. However, you might be surprised at the number of websites that fail to meet this standard. To check the performance of your website, use Google’s Mobile Usability Report.

Consider the Web Stories plug in if you are building your website using WordPress. This plug-in is optimized for Google. Web Stories have their own section on Google’s homepage. It will often spark the curiosity of Discovery.

4. Use larger images to increase CTRs and create compelling UX

Your card images can be displayed in large formats using the robots meta tags max_image-preview. This is a great way for you to increase your screen space and attract more attention. It will also drive CTR. Google reports that this has increased the CTR of a food blog by 79 percent, and driven clicks to a weekly magazine by 332 percent over six months.

Source: Google Search Central

5. Discover a niche that is unique and show your knowledge

Popular keywords can make it very competitive in Discovery, just like when you bid for a PPC spot. If you aren’t a major player in your industry, you could be outsourced to other companies. If you write about sports, ESPN is more likely to select you to talk about the playoffs or other significant events in a game.

Discover doesn’t have to be boring. You just need to think outside of the box. You might think of a topic that is less common in your niches. For example, a player, team or set stats. These topics can be discussed in detail, referring to the E-A–T regulations, and you will see the results.

6. Consider your target audience

Discover is designed to match the right content with the right audience. This is something you should consider when writing blog posts or similar copy. You should take the time to get to know your audience. Then, use analytics to make sure you appeal to them.

You may need to adapt your approach based on the results. Emoticons may be more appealing to one reader than they are to another. However, it can deter readers who are more likely to convert. You may also find that you need less text and more images to attract the users you truly want.

7. Make sure you pay attention to your headlines

More than 14 percent of all Google search results include a question. This should be reflected in your headlines. Asking a question increases your chances of being selected by Discovery and attracting attention.

Google’s search for relevance is not to be overlooked. This means that you should not try to bait and switch. The blog “How to Hire an App Developer” should discuss the difficulties and triumphs of this process. Discovery will not accept an article saying “don’t bother” – here’s a guide for DIY mobile app design to save money.

8. Make sure your content is high quality

Google Discover is not a good place to clickbait. However, you might be able slip some of this content through the web.

It will be difficult to gain followers and their trust. This is true for content that hasn’t been through a quality control process and is rife with errors and typos. Quality is important, so don’t try to make everyone blind. You can also use keyword research and Google search traffic to help you create engaging, relevant content. This will allow you to identify and create top-of-the funnel (TOFU), content for key segments in the search journey, and align it with your sales funnel.

9. Keep your pulse on the pulse

Google Discover is a news and current event company. Google will always strive to provide the most recent and best news articles to its users. Although Discover has come under fire for its top-of the-funnel status (TOFU), it is still relevant and can be used to appeal to algorithms.

There is evidence that Discover ranks search terms higher than SEO, which opens up new possibilities. This does not mean you should just make a Twitter controversy and hope the clicks come in. You’ll be hurt in the long-term if you let your brand values slip by. Avoid avoiding talking about topics that could add value to your audience. If you don’t have anything valuable to share as a brand, don’t jump on the bandwagon.

10. Encourage your users to ‘heart you’

Encourage your captive audience to follow you on Discover if they are not already following you. The Discover heart icon matches the purpose for a Facebook Like and is a direct way of showing appreciation.

It will be noted on their Google account if someone follows articles from your site that are relevant to their interests. This will make it more likely that they receive content related to the same topic from your brand, as well as other unrelated users Google considers to share similar interests.

11. Increase brand awareness

Users are more likely to discover and follow your Discover profile if your brand is known. Your marketing campaigns can help you raise your Google Discover profile and encourage people to follow you here.

12. Create and publish new content regularly

Discover is always looking for new insights and articles to share its users. A blog that has just been published is more likely to be chosen than one that was written months, years, or even weeks ago, provided it meets our quality standards. Evergreen content is sometimes picked up but not as often.

Be aware that Discover articles tend to be shorter-lasting than articles written with organic SEO. Both markets can be appealed to. Inbound marketing strategies can also benefit from Discover. Your blog should not be left on the platform for more than three to four days.

13. Images and videos should be included in your content

No matter how many words a picture can really be worth, Discover strives to provide variety in its content. Discover saw much more interest in websites that used video and images in their blog posts than sites that only used prose.

Here, quality is just as important as quantity. You can’t just throw a quick video from your phone into your content. Discover values crisp, high-definition images in both static and moving pictures. So make sure you choose the highest resolution possible that is mobile friendly.

14. Social media: Interact

Discover loves social engagement. Discover will likely select and share content that encourages social sharing and comments, just like organic SEO. This creates a chicken-and-egg scenario. Is your content going viral because Discover picked it up? Or did Discover push it because it was getting social media traction.

The order of events is irrelevant. You can use Discover to increase awareness and gain new followers. This creates a snowball effect: the more people you have following, the more they will see your content on their devices.

15. Keep track of your analytics and make improvements where needed

As with SEO performance, it is important to monitor your Google Discover traffic analytics. This information is available in your Search Console. If your Discover traffic appears low, don’t be alarmed. These visits take a few days to reach the report so things could change over time.

If you’re still getting attention through other channels, then discover may not be necessary. Websites should never turn down the chance to increase website traffic. If your website traffic is declining faster than expected, you should review points 1 through 14 and take the necessary steps to increase it.

Joe Dawson is the Director of Creative.onl, a UK-based strategic growth agency. You can find him on Twitter @jdwn.

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The post Google Discover: Is your business optimized? This guide is for YOU! This guide was first published on Search Engine Watch.