Google Discover is coming to the desktop! This major announcement was made at the Search Central Live event in Madrid, which took place in the second week of April. This could be a game-changer for news publishers. Here’s why.
Google Discover is the biggest source of organic traffic for news and media publishers. It drives as much as 50% of total traffic for many publishers. Google Discover has only been available on mobile devices so far.
Google has tested Discover on the desktop in the past, but this is the first time the search giant has confirmed that it is here to stay. Some recent reports confirm spotting Discover on desktop hinting that a wider roll-out would follow soon.
John Shehata,Founder and CEO, Newzdash estimates that the availability of Google Discover on the desktop could result in a 10-15% bump in Discover traffic for news publishers. He stated that the current mix from Google Discover stands at 90% mobile and 10% desktop.
What is Google Discover?
Google Discover is a content feed that shows what Google thinks you might be interested in reading. Currently, this feed shows up on Chrome’s new tab page, Google App, Google.com on smartphones, and the -1 screens of certain Android smartphones.
Unlike a typical search, which requires a user to type in a query, Google Discover suggests content and topics based on the user’s interests and past search history.
Why Should News Publishers Be Ready?
Over time, Discover has become news publishers’ most significant traffic source. Discover also drives significantly higher CTRs than Google Search. However, featuring on Google Discover has its own sets of requirements. If you want to optimize your content for Google Discover, our guide can be the first place to start.
How do you track traffic coming from Google Discover?
If you are curious to know the traffic coming to your publication from Google Discover, you can head over to Google Analytics 4 to find out.
- Head over to the website property in GA4 and head over to Reports> Lifecycle> Traffic Acquisition.
- Set a filter for page referrer “pubsub2” which is for Google Discover.
- Now you have all metrics of traffic from Google Discover. You can take a step further and add an additional filter for “Desktop” and “Mobile”
Content Strategy for Google Discover
Publishers planning to open the taps on Google Discover will need to optimise their content for it. What works for Google Search might not be as effective on Google Discover. Here is how you can optimize your content.
- Current events are a good way to grab attention on Google Discover. Cover current topics and break them down into multiple articles covering each aspect of the event.
- Discover prefers to suggest topics that pique curiosity. Write headlines that drive curiosity and clicks.
- Check Google Search Console’s Discover report to check how your content is performing
- Traffic from Google Discover can be nudged to become subscribers for your push notifications and email newsletters.
With Google Discover being available on desktops, you can expect some traffic volatility for latest news. This could be caused by people clicking on links in Google Discover, instead of heading over to Google Search. Lastly, don’t forget to convert Discover Traffic into your loyal audience.
