The document discusses the differences between search engines and discovery platforms like Google Search, Google Discover, and Google News. It provides tips on optimizing content for appearance in features like the "Top Stories" box in search results as well as factors that influence ranking on discovery platforms like freshness, authoritativeness, relevance, and user engagement. Key factors include having authoritative domain expertise, well-written headlines with keywords, unique and high-quality content, and optimizing for speed and usability.

1. Veronika Kuchynskaya
Blick Group
News SEO
Editorial differences between
Search and Discover

3. Google's mission
is to organize the world's
information
and make it
universally accessible and useful.
The evolution of search engines

4. We inform.
Understanding search intent allows us to give searchers what they want.
@SEOnerdSwitz

5. We entertain.
Search
Discover
News
Search results, top stories, featured snippets
Personalized for your in Google App
News App and News Website
@SEOnerdSwitz

6. SEARCH
Top Stories

7. We inform.
“Branded” and “non-branded” search traffic
A large part of Google
search traffic is
branded. This means
that users search for
"Blick" and it can
become a
google-trend.
@SEOnerdSwitz

8. We inform.
It is critical to appear in the “top stories” box
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9. We inform.
Top Stories are chosen by importance-scores of the topic
❏ A number of articles written
about a news-story.
❏ Number of clicks on articles
and engagement (shares,
likes, etc.).
❏ A time, recency or freshness
of publication related to a
news-story.
❏ Geographic location.
@SEOnerdSwitz

10. We inform.
Keyword research for news-publishers is very important
Tools & Search
❏ What are other publications
writing on this topic?
❏ What underreported story could
bring in a new audience?
❏ What would I search to find this
story?
❏ What have we already written
on this?
❏ Newzdash.com, Google Trends,
Crowdtangle.com
@SEOnerdSwitz

11. We inform.
How to get into “top stories box”
❏ Technical points (sitemap,
schema, web vitals, meta tags etc.)
❏ AMP is not required anymore.
❏ Timing of publication.
❏ Keywords in headlines.
❏ Visual content.
@SEOnerdSwitz

12. We inform.
Ranking factors for “top stories” box
❏ Well made headline (H1) for article
❏ Freshness of publication related to a
news story.
❏ The expertise of a publisher in a
certain news-topic or geographic area.
❏ The authority of the journalist in a
certain area.
❏ Relevance of article to the news story.
@SEOnerdSwitz

13. We inform.
The article with a well formulated headline is not enough
❏ Stronger weight on
displaying results from
authoritative news-sites.
❏ Authority in Top Stories is
stronger than freshness.
❏ Uniqueness of the story.
@SEOnerdSwitz

14. We inform.
The search results correspond to the search request
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15. We inform.
Tabloid headlines could be problematic for search engines
15
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16. We inform.
Why is the page title so important?
❏ If Google doesn't understand
what it's about, there aren’t
rankings and also clicks.
❏ If the reader does not
understand the headline, he
does not click on the article.
@SEOnerdSwitz

17. We entertain.
Tips for “Top Stories” optimization
HEADLINES
Optimize your headlines: Identify the most relevant keywords from the readers’
perspective and feature them prominently in your content.
ENTITIES
Use entities in the headlines and in the URL.
TRUST
Make sure your content is up-to-date, is written by credible authors, shows all sources
and covers relevant topics.
TOPIC AUTHORITY
Consistently covering of topics with new content gives you authority in the eyes of
Google - write more and more about the relevant topic or person.
@SEOnerdSwitz

18. SEARCH
Evergreen & Saisonal content

19. We entertain.
Search results are shown based on the user’s search intent
You should have the
“evergreen content” and also
“news content” when the topic
will be in the news and in
google trends.
@SEOnerdSwitz

20. We inform.
Ranking factors for “evergreen and seasonal” content
❏ Well made headline (H1 + H2) for article
❏ Relevance to the user’s query and the
search intent.
❏ Freshness of publication.
❏ The expertise of a publisher in a certain
topic or geographic area.
❏ Click-through rates and engagement
❏ Usability: Loading speed, responsive
design.
❏ Uniqueness: Your content should be
different than any other content found on
the web.
@SEOnerdSwitz

21. We connect.
Evergreen articles related to news story
❏ ‘How to’ guides or tutorials
❏ “Listicles’ with tips or “best of”
❏ Glossary of industry terms
❏ Testimonials and case studies
❏ Q&As
❏ Videos and infographics
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22. We connect.
Evergreen content is always useful
The same
performance
1 Day
1 Year
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23. We connect.
Re-publish articles with the best rankings
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24. Google Discover

25. We inform.
What is Google Discover?
Google Discover is a content
recommendation tool included in
the Google Search app. It is highly
personalized content based on:
❏ Users search history
❏ Device information
❏ Location
❏ Interest of user
❏ Personalised settings
@SEOnerdSwitz

26. We inform.
“Ranking factors” for Google Discover
❏ Well made headlines for articles
❏ Original and high-quality images
❏ The expertise of a publisher in a certain
news topic or geographic area.
❏ The authority of the journalist in a certain
area.
❏ Relevance to the user’s interests
❏ Usability: Loading speed, responsive design
❏ Uniqueness: Your content should be different
than any other content found on the web.
Google Search Central
@SEOnerdSwitz

27. We entertain.
The truth is: you can not “optimize” for google discover
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28. We inform.
Google Dicover Traffic is less predictable
Topic matters
❏ Celebrity gossip (with emotional details
such as deaths, marriages, children,
divorces and gossip).
❏ Sport and sport events (emotional details
are important).
❏ Local interest to the news topic, celebrity
or event
❏ Correlation with actual google trends.
@SEOnerdSwitz

29. We inform.
Clickbait headlines appear to drive traffic
❏ Articles with strong
performance tend to be highly
entertaining and evoke strong
emotion.
❏ Posing questions in headlines
appears to drive high CTRs in
Google Discover.
❏ Listicles are welcome in
Discover.
@SEOnerdSwitz

30. We inform.
Content that deeply targets users’ interests
❏ The best-performing content
speaks to the specific niche
interests of audience.
❏ Content that performs well in
discover may not perform well
in search.
❏ Content in Discover feeds into
the existing political or social
beliefs of its readers.
@SEOnerdSwitz

31. We inform.
Click-through rate is very important
❏ How many people are clicking on the
article and how prominent the article is
placed, is very important.
❏ Traffic to a news story has influence on
ranking and popularity of the article
being read and share.
@SEOnerdSwitz

32. We inform.
Older articles can have a good performance on discover
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33. We inform.
E-A-T - expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness
Google Discover can now
show the author name of a
specific story instead of
showing the site name
under the story.

34. Google News

35. We inform.
Google News shows you the top stories for the day
❏ On the left, you can select a
category.
❏ The “For You”- section presents
you with a selection of news
based on your interests.
❏ You can also choose language
and location.
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36. We inform.
How to get the articles on Google News
❏ The first thing to do is to set up
your account at Publisher
Center.
❏ Google provides content
guidelines for sites willing to
appear in Google News.
❏ The content should be
well-written, well-structured,
with no grammatical errors or
misspellings.

37. We inform.
“Ranking factors” for Google News
❏ Well made headlines for article
❏ Original and high-quality images
❏ The expertise of a publisher and
journalist in a certain topic or geographic
area.
❏ Relevance to the current news topics.
❏ Usability: Loading speed, responsive design
❏ Uniqueness: Content should be different
than any other content found on the web.
@SEOnerdSwitz

38. We connect.
Take Aways
Trust: Be sure that you have a lot of article about the topic, very
clear information about sources and author of article.
Relevance: Ask yourself, can readers find information that they are
searching?
Prominence: Articles will have more chances to be surface if they
are linked on homepage.
Timing: Be first who is talking about, but make sure you have the
most up to date information.

39. We inform.
Veronika Kuchynskaya
SEO Content Manager
@veronicatoday