Google Discover: what is it?

Unveiled at the end of 2018, Google Discover offers you the opportunity to discover content that may interest you, directly on the search engine's home page or in the application. How does that work? We explain everything you need to know about using Google Discover.

Google Discover: what is it?

Google Discover is much more than just a flow of information generated by Google. It's a true mobile companion that brings you articles, news, and videos customized to your interests and search history. You even have the option of manually customizing Google Discover content by choosing the topics you're passionate about.

Every day, Google Discover results change to show you the latest publications and satisfy your curiosity. For content creators, it's a golden opportunity to attract traffic to their website. Indeed, Google Discover feeds offer targeted content that is sure to captivate users' attention. Eye-catching visuals and titles are preferred to optimize the click rate.

Accessing Google Discover is disconcertingly easy. The Google app comes pre-installed on most Android and iPhone devices, but if it's not, you can download it for free from Google Play or the App Store. Sign in with your Google account, open the app, and under the search bar, you'll find a list of Google maps on the “Discover” tab for Android users or the “Home” tab for iOS users. Get ready to be amazed by a captivating and personalized flow of information at every moment.

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Google is taking a giant step towards a hyper-personalized user experience by using your search history to provide you with tailored results. This trend is widely accepted by users who prefer to receive messages, suggestions and results tailored to their individual needs rather than addressing a larger audience as was the case in the 1980s.

However, it can also be confusing because by collecting so much data on your profile, Google is in a position to further categorize you and potentially influence your online behavior by directing you to sites that are more “rewarding” for them. While the feature isn't offered that way, it's hard not to consider that the Mountain View company is looking to expand its grip on our online habits and spending.

Ultimately, it is up to everyone to decide how far they are ready to go in personalizing their online experience and to keep a close eye on the protection of their privacy and data.

How does Google Discover work?

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How Google Discover works is simple: by browsing sites or using Google services such as YouTube or Maps, the search engine associates your user account with “Interests” and uses this information to offer you relevant content.

With these Discover interests, you can see that your previous research has been taken into account. For example, if you are interested in several soccer teams, the search engine will provide you with articles related to these teams. Your searches are thus classified into categories that allow you to obtain content adapted to your preferences.

The big strength of this feature is the ability to personalize your Discover feed. You have total control over the types of content you want to appear, you can choose your themes and interests, and even ask for more content that is similar to what you liked.

With Google Discover, you decide the nature of your online experience by selecting the content that interests you the most.

The pros and cons of Google Discover

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The benefits of Discover:

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• Hyper-personalized experience
• Pushing articles without having to type requests
• Possibility to personalize the centers of interests

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Disadvantages of Discover:

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• Profiling
• User search tracking

Appearing on Google Discover: how do I do it?

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Of course, as is often the case with Google, simply pressing a button is not enough to see your content appear on Google Discover. The search (and response) engine offers a list of fairly general, but logical, recommendations. However, it is highly recommended that you follow these tips to increase your chances of appearing on Google Discover:

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• Use page titles that reflect the essence of your content, without trying to manipulate the click-through rate.
• Add engaging, high-quality images to your content, with a focus on larger images that are more likely to draw attention to Discover. Make sure your large images are at least 1200 pixels wide and activate them using the “max-image-preview:large” setting or using the AMP format.
• Avoid using your site logo as the main image.
• Avoid tactics that artificially increase engagement. Don't provide misleading or exaggerated information in titles, excerpts, or images to attract attention. Make sure you don't omit critical details that are necessary to understand the content.
• Avoid tactics aimed at attracting as many Internet users as possible with sensationalist, provocative, or scandalous content.
• Use content that matches users' current interests. Tell a compelling story or provide unique and interesting information.

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Note that it is important to respect the optimization rules for Google Discover. Concretely, you need to check that Google Discover's SEO is working properly:

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• semantic markup,
• the News sitemap,
• the NewsArticle microformat,
• your URL,
• your internal and external links...

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