How to get into Google News

Google News is a free news aggregator. From hundreds of news publications, it selects the most relevant and interesting ones to show to users. How to optimize content for Google News and add a website to the aggregator — read in our blog.

News format from Google

There are three formats in which Google News is presented:

1. Top News. This is a special block in search results.
2. News tab. It is on the user’s panel among others (Calendar, Photos, Maps, Drive).
3. Google Discover. A smart feed of events or interesting posts that are shown to Android users in a recommended way.

There are a number of topics in Google News — World, Country, Science & Technology, Sports, Entertainment, Health, and COVID-19 News. When news from a website gets to Google News, it potentially increases the number of users who can go to the website and read the article. It is best to promote news resources on Google News, rather than on other websites that have one relevant section.

Optimization according to the requirements of Google News

Before adding a website to Google News, you should configure it according to the rules of the aggregator. The list of requirements is in the official handbook. In particular, it is necessary to create permanent URLs for each section, and unique URLs for each separate news item. In addition, the website should have texts in only one language. If your resource has sections in different languages, create separate editions for each version, as Google support recommends. It will allow users to select content in the desired language. There are also a number of requirements for the materials themselves.

Improving the quality of content

The most important parameters at this point are the quality and relevance of the content. Texts must be unique. The uniqueness must be at least 90%. News material must contain names, places of residence, and positions. This data should be placed in the lead or first paragraph. The informational uniqueness of the material is most appreciated by the search engine. In addition, if possible, add a video clip and several high-quality photos with keywords in the title and alt to the news publication.Another important point is information structuring on the resource. Put each news article in a certain section and write tags. In addition, experts advise using georeferencing, as regional news is ranked higher than national news.

Working with the website’s micro-markup

Micro-markup is necessary to tell searchers what they need to notice. It helps to understand the main idea of the content. To add micro-markup, you need:

1. Prepare HTML code in Search Console or Structured Data Testing Tool.
2. Add the code to the template that is responsible for the micro-markup on the web resource.
3. Test its operation using the Google micro-markup validator.

Authority and trustworthiness

The trust of search engines is influenced by the authority and trustworthiness of the website too. The lowest level of trust for newly created resources. For the level of authority to start growing, the website must be in the index for at least six months. During this period, it is necessary to increase authority in other ways, in particular:

• by reducing the number of external links to other resources;
• by increasing the link weight;
• improving the website’s usability.

Adding a website to Google News

To access Google News, open your Google Account. Then click News-Tools. Next, you need to either log in to an existing account or register. If you use this service for webmasters, then the main page will show a list of your resources. To add a website to Google News, click on the corresponding button opposite the desired web resource.If your website is not listed, click below on the offer: «Do you want to include your website in Google News?». Fill in the fields in the window and send a request for the promotion of your resource to Google News.Registration in Google News will not take place immediately. The application review period is about three weeks. When the status of the request is known, a message will appear in News Google. If the application is rejected, it will be possible to send a second one only after two months.