It’s a sad fact, but a true one. Most people with a mobile phone care for it like it’s a newborn baby. And many of the rules are the same. Don’t leave it somewhere it could fall and hurt itself, keep it clean and well-fed (charged) and always bring it to the bathroom with you.
Even if you’re having one of those rare moments where you don’t need to Google anything and could do something non-internet related – how many times have you found yourself just staring at the screen, fingers poised, wondering what to look at?
Give your fingers a rest and Google can choose your content instead, through Google Discover.
What is Google Discover?
Google Discover could be your new best friend. A mobile experience of a different kind as you don’t really need to search anymore. Once the system learns your preferences, it will suggest content for you based on your search history and what activities you enjoy on your phone.
Imagine someone has just presented you with everything you’re interested in, all in one place. Well, they pretty much have with Google Discover. Your previous web searches, location history and application activity are all analysed to help suggest the best entertaining, informative and relevant information for you, personally.
You can build your profile by following topics and themes you are interested in, leaving Discover to find the information. There is also a feature to set a limit on what is found for you, in case the thought of never-ending information gets too much.
A quick history of Google Discover
Going back to 2012, its original name was ‘Google Now’. It was designed to do your searches for you and feed you that information, without you having to do anything. It used the intel you fed it by using your phone to compile your profile of interests.
It was able to show your calendar events, tracking numbers and boarding passes, but eventually, this was changed and trimmed down to mostly articles. It then became the Google Feed, before in 2018, transitioning into Google Discover.
Its aim was to create an intelligent tool that can learn how you search and do the same. It is a massively appealing concept, as who wouldn’t want results without having to even ask for them?
So, how can you get your content on Google Discover?
Discover is constantly improving and developing as more features are added to it all the time. For example, in 2020, ‘web stories’ was added, using a visual medium for users to create and publish their stories on their platforms. Discover is then able to source your story to share with others.
If you want your content to be discoverable for others, then it needs to stand out. Let’s look at some ways to help your content attract attention.
1. Excellent quality of written content
Write content that is current, fresh and timely. Posting your content on time, not only cultivates good habits but also will have a better chance of being available to potential readers. Always be aware of what topics are trending, so you are able to focus on what your audience is interested in.
2. Make your content visual
Google Discover relies on attractive visuals to draw the user in, backed up by high-quality written text to complement and create great content. Obviously, the written word can’t be overlooked, but having excellent visuals is a strong way to connect and intrigue a potential visitor.
Think carefully about the primary image of your website, as it will be a major deciding factor on whether the potential visitor clicks for more or not.
3. Improve E-A-T
Standing for Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, E-A-T needs to be present for your content to be found by Google Discover. Being able to trust the source of the information and the validity of the research done, is essential. For example, someone sharing medical or financial information really needs to know what they are talking about, as their advice could impact another person’s life in a hugely significant way.
So, if you want to present yourself as an authority on the subject, make sure that you know what you’re talking about!
4. Support with structured data
Schema or microdata needs to be clear, high-quality information that users can understand and relate to what they are interested in. Giving as much information as possible on your entities gives you a better chance of search engines grabbing that info and sharing it with your potential audience, as well as making sense of what you like.
And remember that ranking can be the name of the game. Structured data is able to help improve the prominence of your search results to interpret the context of a query and the quality of those results.
5. Improve your site
Make sure that your site can be used fully on mobile. To use Google Discover, your website needs to be working to a good standard, with excellent loading capability and offering an enjoyable, high-quality user experience.
Using the ‘web stories’ tool will provide more visual interest in your site and as it uses the familiar format from social media platforms, your target audience will immediately recognise it and be drawn to it.
6. Use Google Search Console to check your content performance
Google Search Console allows you to find out the impact of your content on Discover. This can enable you to figure out the behaviour of your website’s traffic and look for particular patterns at certain times. Did a certain post gain more interest one day than another? Did your web story increase your audience?
In doing this, you will be able to make more informed decisions regarding the trajectory of your Discover content.
Written by Alexander Campbell | Rapport Digital
Alex is the Managing Director of Rapport Digital, a full-service marketing agency working with dynamic brands in Somerset and Bristol. Rapport Digital offers a full suite of results-driven marketing tools and tactics such as search engine optimisation (SEO) to help businesses of any size get the results they need.