What is Google Discover and how does it work?

Google Discover is a tool from Google that recommends interesting content published by media outlets, web portals, blogs, etc., based on your previous searches.

In other words, if you have done a Google search on “Croatia”, it is very possible that Google Discover will show you articles related to this term (this country). This refers not only to news, but also to “evergreen” content, evergreen, regarding this search performed.

For example, in this case, Wikipedia content about Croatia might appear, or an article from a travel blog with recommendations for getting there. In the same way, similar videos posted on YouTube or all kinds of photographs about Croatia, recommended in Google Discover, could appear.

How to use Google Discover

You can use Google Discover to receive content recommendations related to your searches only from your mobile device. Currently, Google Discover is not available for desktop.

You can access Google Discover from your Android mobile through the Google app or your smartphone browser. On some Android phone models, you just need to swipe right on your mobile screen to access Google Discover, although it’s not available to everyone.

When you first enter Google Discover, you’ll see content recommendations based on searches you’ve done previously. You can personalize your experience, because by clicking on the content that interests you, you will receive similar articles recommended by Google Discover in the future.

You can also follow topics, so that they appear among your recommendations in the future. Simply click on these topics – as hashtags – to indicate your interest in them.

If you don’t want more content to appear on a specific topic, you can choose that too. In the “Data” option of the Google application, you will see which topics have been selected for you or which you have selected in the past. Simply click on it to stop following them and the related content will no longer appear among Google Discover recommendations.

Why Use Google Discover

Google Discover is a great content recommendation tool for finding topics that interest you, based on previous searches. It gives you the opportunity to learn more and expand your knowledge on relevant topics.

If you are a media or content creator, Google Discover is an extremely useful tool that will allow you to get more exposure for your content. Having a featured article appear in Google Discover is a reward for the web traffic your page or medium gets.

But also, if the content is interesting, the user can follow this topic and, possibly, new articles related to this will appear recommended when you publish them, since Google Discover considers that, for this person, you will be a source of reference.

If you want to get this greater visibility, you need to adapt your content to have a better chance of appearing in Google Discover:

How to appear on Google Discover

As is the case with SEO positioning in search engines, getting your articles recommended by Google Discover is not an easy task or an exact science, in which some basic rules can be given for show yes or yes. However, there are a series of tips that can be taken into account to appear in Google Discover.

-Personalization. Keep in mind that the goal of Google Discover is to be a tool that offers personalized content to each user based on their experience. In this sense, optimizing your topics so that they are the ones that really interest your target audience will help you to appear among the recommendations of Google Discover.

It is recommended to focus on a thematic niche instead of trying to cover different sectors. Wanting to branch out with other content that we don’t know about or just because we think “could be more viral” is not recommended.

-Paternity. The contents must appear signed and their author, correctly identified. Who is he, what does he do, what is his specialty…provide links to verify him (for example, to his Twitter or LinkedIn profile)

– General themes. Extended and in-depth content on general topics will engage more people and make them appear as recommended on Google Discover.

– Audiovisual elements. The fact that content includes additional elements that support the information will make it easier to appear in Google Discover. Including several large related photos or videos makes the tool see that it is rich content that might be of interest to users who follow the topic it is listed in.

-Evergreen content vs. gift. There is no set rule for how much content should be evergreen and how much topical. In this sense, it is advisable to develop your own technique, adapted to the interests of your users and the idiosyncrasies of your publication. Any content may appear referenced in Google Discover.

-Mobility. This last characteristic is essential: the content must be adapted to mobile devices. Remember that Google Discover is a mobile-only tool and will improve the content of portals or web pages whose mobile version provides a better user experience.