How to Optimize Your Website for Google Discover and Boost User Engagement
In the ever-evolving landscape of search engine optimization (SEO) and web development, staying on top of the latest trends and tools is crucial. Google's Discover feature is one such tool that web developers and SEO professionals should be aware of. It offers an opportunity to expand your website's reach and visibility by showing your content to users based on their interests. In this article, we'll delve into Discover and explore how you can optimize your website to make the most of this feature. Additionally, we'll take a closer look at the Follow feature and how it can enhance user engagement with your website.
Understanding Google Discover
What is Google Discover?
Google Discover is a component of Google Search that delivers personalized content to users based on their browsing history and interests. It's displayed as a feed of articles and videos on the Google homepage or within the Google app.
Eligibility for Discover:
Your website's content can appear in Discover if it's indexed by Google and adheres to Discover's content policies. The good news is that you don't need any special tags or structured data for eligibility. However, being eligible doesn't guarantee your content will appear.
Content Guidelines for Discover:
To increase the likelihood of your content being featured in Discover, follow these best practices:
- Craft descriptive and non-clickbait page titles.
- Incorporate high-quality images, preferably large ones (at least 1200 px wide), to enhance your content's visual appeal.
- Avoid tactics that artificially boost engagement or use misleading details.
- Provide timely, well-structured, and unique content.
Content Filtering in Discover:
Discover filters out certain types of content, such as job applications, forms, and code repositories. It aims to present content suitable for interest-based feeds while avoiding material that might confuse or shock readers.
Optimizing Your Web Pages for Follow Feature
Adding RSS or Atom Feed to Your Web Pages:
html<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="https://example.com/rssfeed">
Explanation:
This HTML <link> element is used to specify an alternate link to an RSS or Atom feed for a web page.
rel="alternate" tells the browser that this link points to an alternate version of the current page.
type="application/rss+xml" specifies the type of feed, which can be either RSS or Atom.
href="https://example.com/rssfeed" is the URL of the RSS or Atom feed that corresponds to the content of the current page. Replace this URL with the actual URL of your feed.
This code is added to both the hub page (main page) and individual blog post pages (leaf pages) of your website to inform Google about the feed associated with each page.
Specifying Multiple Feeds:
html<html>
<head>
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="https://example.com/technology/feed/" />
</head>
<body>
<h1>What's next for Technology in 2022</h1>
</body>
</html>
Explanation:This code snippet specifies an RSS feed using the <link> element for a web page that discusses technology.
It includes the <link> element within the <head> section of the page, indicating that it's an alternate feed for the current page.
The href attribute points to the URL of the RSS feed related to the technology content.
This approach helps Google understand which feed to follow for a specific page, making it easier for users to subscribe to relevant content.
Feed Guidelines:
html<html>
<head>
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" href="https://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/amDG" />
</head>
<body>
<h1>Google Search Central Blog</h1>
</body>
</html>
Explanation:This code example demonstrates a webpage for the "Google Search Central Blog."
It includes a link to an RSS feed in the <head> section.
The URL in the href attribute points to the RSS feed for this blog.
The feed should contain elements like the title and item links, ensuring it provides useful information for users who want to follow the content.
Managing Discover Traffic
Fluctuations in Discover Traffic:
Discover traffic differs from keyword-driven search traffic in its unpredictability. It's essential to consider Discover traffic as a supplemental source. Various factors can cause Discover traffic to fluctuate, such as changing user interests, adjustments to content types, and updates to Google Search.
Monitoring Your Discover Performance:
If your content appears in Discover, monitor its performance using the Performance report for Discover. This report provides insights into impressions, clicks, and click-through rates (CTR), helping you assess the impact of your content in Discover.
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