TLDR

According to Google's Martin Splitt, "Discover is an organic feature that goes with the demand and habits of users."

Google's Martin Splitt responded to a question about what to do after Google Discover traffic dries up during the July 2023 Office Hours session. Martin provides quick insights into what Google Discover is all about.

Google Discover

Discover is a feed of articles that users might be interested in.

Google uses signals about a user's interests to surface content that is relevant to those interests. It is unknown what those signals of interest are.

There is no documentation that specifies which signals Google uses to determine a user's interest.

Anyone who pays attention to Discover will notice that one of the signals may be what a user is looking for.

How Do You Get and Keep Google Discover Traffic?

The following is the question:

"No longer available in Google Discover... "What should I do to return?"

Martin Splitt of Google responded:

"Discover is an organic feature that evolves in response to user demand and habits."

As a result, there is no simple solution for restoring Discover traffic.

In general, Discover can include content that has been indexed and meets our content guidelines.

But...discover that traffic is difficult to predict and will ebb and flow."

Google focuses on user demand and habits.

That explanation of how Google Discover works is useful because it emphasizes how the selection process is linked to what users want to see.

Google's page on how to get onto Google Discover includes the following tips:

Topics that are both new and perennial

While Google displays relevant evergreen content, the system is also looking for new content on specific topics that require it.

Sports, technology, entertainment, and certain products, for example, are constantly changing, with new developments and newsworthy topics breaking every day.

Other topics, such as recipes, don't change all that much unless a chef creates a new twist on an old one.

Google suggests:

"The Discover content is automatically refreshed as new content is published; however, Discover is designed to show all types of useful content from across the web, not just newly published content."

Write about topics rather than keywords.

One common error I see in the SEO industry is focusing too much on keywords or word semantics and not enough on topics.

Focusing on the semantics of words, in my opinion, is a waste of time. Concentrate on topics of interest.

Topics include what's going on in the industry and determining what people are interested in right now.

Focusing on topics, in my opinion, brings the writer closer to providing what people need, which is what Google Discover is looking for.

This is what Google Discover has to offer:

"As part of Google Search, Discover makes use of many of the same signals and systems used by Search to determine what is helpful, people-first content."

Google Discover's Signals

Once the topic is understood, the article must be written in such a way that it is clear what the topic of the article is about.

This is where keyword-focused writers and SEOs concerned with semantics go astray.

In my experience, an article that ranks well focuses on the topic and communicates it effectively.

A topic-focused article will reveal headings that make it easy to know the topic without having to read the sentences when you look at the heading outline, which is an outline of the heading elements used in an article.

Looking at the heading outline is like looking at a forest, where you don't see individual trees (sentences), but rather the overall picture.

Like a story with chapters, organize your content so that it is organized and hits each topic beat.

Google lists the best practices as follows:

  • "Utilise page titles that convey the essence of the content...
  • Incorporate captivating, high-quality images into your content...
  • Provide content that is relevant to current events, tells a good story, or offers unique insights."

Google also warns against deceptive titles, exaggeration, inciting outrage, and morbid or shocking topics.

Conclusion

Google Discover can be a good source of traffic, but it is not always reliable.

Focusing on the topic, writing well, using a properly centred and relevant image, and staying current are all great ways to increase your chances of getting Discover traffic.

Hocalwire CMS includes a carefully curated collection of automatically updated settings to keep up with the Google Update cycle for its search engine. As a service to our clients, we include mobile SEO implementation in our standard packages. Schedule a Demo today to learn how Hocalwire can help you transform your current codebase into a beautiful mobile experience.