SofanMax - When you open Google Chrome on your phone and scroll down, under the search box, you will notice the Discover section that displays content tailored to your interest. You will see a series of websites, pages, or YouTube videos that you may find interesting.
Google will recommend genuinely helpful and reliable articles that prioritize people first, pushing their visibility through the Discover feature!
Recently, I got one of my articles on this Blogspot website, titled "Three Months with the Galaxy A54 5G: A Blogger's Perspective on Samsung's Midrange Marvel", featured in Google Discover.
So, on this occasion, I shall talk about how I managed to do that and give you my secret tips to boost your chance of getting featured too!
How Google Discover Boosts Your Traffic Significantly!
Now, as a content writer, having your article listed on Google's Discover is the goal because it means more traffic! Only relevant people whose interests align with the information in your article get the recommendation!
Consequently, the click-through rate is insanely high because only those who need the specific information get the recommendation.
Google Discover will cause a traffic spike!
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| Traffic boost to SofanMax from Google Discover! |
The burst of visitors coming to your blog will surprise you! Out of nowhere thousands of people click on your article that appears on Discover. Google Chrome users often scroll down their Discover feed and may stumble upon your article.
What's more, Discover is a part of Google Search! You can see from the screenshot of my Google Search Console above, showing a significant traffic spike. In fact, traffic from Google Discover is considered to be organic!
Yes, the traffic from Google's Discover recommendation is specifically tracked by the Search Console. The Discover traffic data will appear on your Search Console once your website gets recommended for the first time.
Your articles do not have to rank high in Google Search to appear on Google Discover!
To appear on Google Discover, your article does not have to rank high on Google Search! As long as the topic and the content of your article align with some users' interests, Google may decide to feature it on Discover! In fact, my articles that have appeared on Discover feed in the past didn't rank in the top 10.
That's why Google Discover is such an interesting way for smaller bloggers to generate traffic! Sometimes, you pour a lot of effort into an article but it doesn't get the chance to flourish because it's pushed down by competitors websites. Google Discover gives your article a second life and a fighting chance against established publishers.
If you can't afford to implement expensive search engine optimization strategies, focus on the quality so it may get featured!
Traffic from Google Discover is High Quality
The traffic that comes from Discover is considered to be high-quality traffic and will bring more revenue. Because Discover displays personalized content, the ads that appear in the article will also be more personalized and more targeted. So, Google Discover not only will boost your traffic but also boost your AdSense revenue.
Furthermore, getting listed on Discover is also a testament to the quality of your writing! After all, only high-quality contents get recommended through Discover. Visitors will likely trust your website more. It boosts your credibility, which is especially great for smaller Blogspot websites.
Trustworthy websites will attract more organic visitors down the line!
Getting Your Blogspot Articles Appear on Google Discover
Getting featured on Google Discover is not an easy task! There are crucial criteria that you have to meet, and even then, it's not a guarantee that your article will be listed on Discover.
Blogspot's Eligibility to Appear on Google Discover
Your article on Blogspot is automatically eligible to appear in Discover if Google has indexed it! You don't have to be using a custom top-level domain or fancy premium platform like WordPress to be eligible.
So, once your page appears on search results, you've fulfilled the first criteria. Find out how you can index your Blogspot article using Google Search Console here! And as I've mentioned earlier, you don't even need to rank on top in search results.
The second criterion is to meet Discover's content policies. Basically, you should avoid writing extreme and deceptive topics. Make sure that you fulfill these policies:
- No excessive ads or sponsored content. This is self-explanatory. Google Discover is all about delivering personalized information
- Absolutely avoid misleading content! Make sure that you know what you are writing and it's not just some unverified AI-generated junk. If you do use AI, be sure that you double-check it and "humanize" it.
- Be transparent with your website identity, so do not skimp on the About Me and Contact pages. Google Discover will not feature anonymous articles. Make sure that the page has a clear date. You also need to have clear information about the writer!
You do not need to add any special tags or structured data to be eligible. And again, just because you have fulfilled the criteria above, there is no guarantee that your content may appear on Discover.
Contents That Can Appear on Google Discover
There is a wide range of topics that may appear in Discover, as long as it aligns with someone's interest. So, you can write just about anything, granted the topic is still within Discover's content policy. Usually, the kind of articles that get featured are fresh ones and currently popular.
Google Discover works based on users' demand! If the information is highly sought after, then the chance that it gets listed on the Discover feed is much higher. If there are not many websites covering the topic that you are writing about, but many people want to know about it, then there is a huge chance that the article will appear in Discover! Google will help you push that info.
That's why when you check your Chrome's Discover, you will mostly see news articles. But again, it does depend on your personal interest.
Furthermore, older content may still appear if it's still relevant and helpful to individuals based on their interests. In fact, my review of the Samsung Galaxy A54 was only recently featured in Discover even though I wrote it last month. There is apparently a big demand for personalized reviews of that phone.
The types of articles that typically get featured are unique, in demand, in-depth, and personalized. It should be as informative as possible but still nuanced, colored with your own analysis.
If you read my article that got featured, you will notice that it's helpful, reliable, and puts human readers as a priority! Check out this guide to create a helpful, reliable, people-first blog post!
Google Discover Boost is Only Short Term
Please note that your article that got featured will fade out from Discover over time. Once the information is stale, no longer fresh and relevant, the demand will decrease. Eventually, the traffic spike will slow down and then fade to zero!
There is no clear timeline on how long your Blogspot article can stay in the Discover feed. However, I noticed the first or the second-day boost is the most significant. But it really varies.
Based on my previous featured articles, like my laptop review, the traffic from Discover lasted for about a month before it fizzled out completely. Your article may no longer get pushed as much by the Discover algorithm as time goes by. However, I suspect that it can be longer or shorter depending on the demand for the information.
If people stay interested, your article may get featured for longer. On the other hand, news articles may only get featured in shorter periods because news goes stale faster. Moreover, an old article that was once featured may appear in Discover again if the information suddenly becomes in demand again.
Nevertheless, even though the boost seems to be only short-term, Google Discover is a God-send! You get organic traffic outside of traditional Google Search regardless of your ranking.
Boosting Your Chance to Appear in Google Discover
To be eligible, you only need to be indexed on Google Search and follow Discover's content policy. Other than that, the chance to get featured is really random. You are at the mercy of Discover's algorithm.
However, you can increase the likelihood of your Blogspot article appearing in Discover!
- Use titles that capture the essence of your article but don't clickbait!
- Include relevant and interesting high-quality images in your article! Make sure that the thumbnail is eye-catching. Larger images can generate more visits from Discover. The image, especially the first one that appears on your post, must be at least 1200 px wide!
- Enable the max-image-preview:large setting. Typically this setting is enabled by default in modern blogger themes. My current theme, Fletro Pro from Jago Desain, has this feature already built in! Avoid using a site logo as your image.
- Using original images seems to increase the chance! It's always best to avoid duplicates. If you use copy-right-free images, make sure that they are not overly used.
- Avoid tactics to artificially inflate engagement by using misleading or exaggerated details in titles, snippets, or images to increase clicks.
- Don't withhold crucial information. Be straightforward and transparent so visitors can understand what the article is about immediately!
- Avoid tactics that manipulate appeal by catering to morbid curiosity, titillation, or outrage.
- Provide fresh content that reflects current interests, tells a story well, and provides unique insights.
To deliver a good user experience, Discover seeks to present articles that are suitable for interest-based feeds and filter out articles that are not desired or that might confuse readers. For example, Discover will not recommend your job applications blog! Satirical content without any context may get filtered out too.
Discover makes use of SafeSearch so stay away from adult content, shocking or unexpected articles, and headlines!
My Final Thoughts
Getting featured in Google Discover is always a good thing, especially for smaller bloggers like us. Having a traffic spike, even though it's only brief, significantly affects ad revenue. While not all of our articles can always get featured, maintaining high standards is always a great thing anyway!
And remember, even though you are only using a free platform like Blogspot to deliver content, it is the quality of the article that matters the most! It's not about the platform but your writing!