How to Get Traffic from Google News

by Angus Fraser · November 18, 2023

Here’s something you might not have considered… you can get free targeted traffic not just from Google, but also from Google News.

Getting featured on Google News isn’t as difficult as it might sound. You don’t need to be a major news network or big city newspaper to do it. In fact, Google pulls content from thousands of indexed publishers, including smaller blogs and regular content sites.

Google has an estimated 280 million users worldwide, and every month people click through Google Search and Google News results to news sites more than 24 billion times. And your news can show up in several places on Google: Google Search, Google News and Google Discover, appearing in top stories, news tab results and plain blue links.

Even if you have a small website that currently isn’t getting a lot of traffic, it’s still possible to get a piece of that highly targeted traffic. However, you do need to publish newsworthy content and optimize your site so that Google can find you.

According to Google itself, Google News… can help you reach new audiences and attract avid news readers to your site.

With Google News, users can:

Discover current events, world-wide news, and diverse content from different publishers – including discovering you.
Subscribe to specific news providers and topics – such as subscribing to your newsletter.
Bookmark and share articles – possibly bringing you even more traffic.

You Get Major Trust from News Searchers

Think about it… the last time you searched for something in Google News, did you trust the content more than if you were doing a random search?

You likely did. People naturally trust search results that appear under “news” more than generic search results. This means it can be easier to convert that new traffic into subscribers and sales than traffic gained from other methods. This is why some websites have chosen to only write content that is newsworthy enough to be featured in Google News (Hint Hint).

How Does Google News Work?

Google News operates through a diverse range of features, enabling users to both learn about and interact with your content. The Google News platform offers a comprehensive experience that includes prominent branding and opportunities for monetization, such as advertising and streamlined subscription sales via the “Subscribe with Google” feature.

How Do You Get Your Content on Google News?

To share your content on Google News, you can utilize the Publisher Center tool, which allows you to submit RSS feeds, website URLs, or videos.

Even if you haven’t established a publication in the Publisher Center, Google may still discover your website through its regular web crawling process.

Note: If you wish to prevent your content from appearing on Google News, you have the option to block access while maintaining your content’s presence in Google Search results.

While signing up via the Publisher Center isn’t mandatory for inclusion in Google News rankings, it does offer several advantages:

Control over Content and Branding: You can customize and brand your publication within Google News.
Monetization Opportunities: As a publisher you can implement paywalls in Google News through the “Subscribe with Google” feature.
Eligibility for Placement: When you create and submit Google News Publications through the Publisher Center, your content can potentially appear in the app’s Newsstand section in relevant countries and regions.

Hint: New applications to be included in Google News are reviewed by real life people at Google, so be sure you precisely follow their steps.

Here Are the Steps:

While logged in to Google, go here: https://publishercenter.google.com/
Add your URL and click “Add”.
Verify your site with Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console/about
Click on “Publication Settings,” scroll down to “Primary URL” and click “Verify in Search Console.”
You’ll also need to customize your brand for Google News and set up sections to act as tabs in the Google News app by following the steps and filling out each section under “Google News brand and customization.”

As with any Google search, placement isn’t guaranteed. The publications showcased in the Newsstand are personalized by algorithms based on user preferences.

Considerations to Keep in Mind

Submitting a feed or URL in the Publisher Center doesn’t guarantee its visibility or ranking on Google News.
Your content must adhere to Search and News policies to be displayed on Google News. Google might block content that violates these policies during automated checks after submission.
If your site operates in multiple languages, avoid automatically redirecting visitors to different language versions. Learn more about managing multi-regional and multilingual sites.
Ensure that automatic redirects from one domain to another remain consistent across both mobile and desktop versions. Mismatched redirects could hinder users and search engines from accessing your content.

https://support.google.com/news/publisher-center/answer/9607025?hl=en