Galley · guide
How to get a news story into Google Discover
What Google Discover rewards in a news story — large images, freshness, E-E-A-T and engagement — and how to optimise for the feed.
Google Discover can send a news story more traffic than Search — but it is a feed, not a query. You don't rank for a keyword; you earn a card the algorithm decides to surface. Here is what moves that decision.
1. A large, high-quality lead image
Discover cards lean on imagery. Use a ≥1200px-wide image and
enable large-image previews (max-image-preview:large in your robots
meta). A thin or missing og:image is the single most common reason a
strong story never gets a card.
2. Freshness and timing
Discover heavily favours recent stories. The first few hours after publish are when a card is most likely. Publish-time accuracy in your schema and a visible date both help; stale timestamps suppress the story.
3. E-E-A-T signals
A named author with a real byline, primary sources cited in the text, and a recognisable publication all raise the trust the feed needs before it amplifies you. Anonymous or wire-only copy is harder to surface.
4. Curiosity without clickbait
Headlines that promise something specific and deliver it earn engagement; clickbait that under-delivers gets demoted. Discover measures what readers do after the tap.
Check your story in 30 seconds
Galley audits exactly these Discover signals — image size, freshness, E-E-A-T, schema — and tells you the one fix that matters most.
Related guides
- NewsArticle schema for Google News: a practical guide
- The news story SEO checklist (Discover, News & Search)
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