Google Discover: How to Get Content Into the Feed

How Discover differs from search

Google Discover is a recommendation feed that users see in the Google app and on the mobile home page without typing a query. Google picks content based on a person's interests: their activity, topics they follow and their location.

Key differences from search:

There is no separate application or "Discover markup". If a page is indexed and meets Google's content policies, it is already eligible to appear in the feed.

Image requirements

A Discover card is first of all an image. Large images are noticeably more attractive than thumbnails.

• At least 1200 pixels wide for a large preview.
• Allow large previews with the robots meta tag:

<meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:large">

• Specify the main image in og:image and in the article's structured data.
• Do not use the site logo as the main image; it works poorly for a card.
• The image should relate to the content, not be a random stock photo. Keep text on the image to a minimum.
• A 16:9 aspect ratio usually looks good in a card, but check that the important part of the frame is not cropped.

Content requirements

Google states plainly that Discover favours content that interests users and dislikes manipulation.

• The headline reflects the substance. Clickbait, exaggeration and withholding information "to get the click" work against you.
• Timeliness. News, fresh analysis and content on current topics appear in the feed more often, but evergreen content can show up too when it matches a user's interest.
• Originality. Your own experience, analysis and conclusions are worth more than retelling other people's material.
• Policy compliance. Discover applies its own content policies: dangerous, misleading or overly sensational content will not appear.

E-E-A-T and trust signals

E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness. It is not a single metric but a set of signals used to assess quality:

• the article has an author with a clear profile page and evidence of competence;
• publication and update dates are shown;
• the site has "About", contact and editorial policy pages;
• the site consistently covers its topic rather than everything at once;
• its content is cited and mentioned on external platforms.

Discover tends to work better for sites with topical depth and regular publishing.

How to read the Discover report in Search Console

The Discover report appears in Search Console only once a site reaches a minimum number of impressions in the feed. If you do not see it, you have few or no impressions yet.

What to look at:

1. Impressions, clicks and CTR by page. You see which content gets into the feed at all.
2. Trend over time. The typical pattern is a short spike for a few days after publishing, then a decline.
3. Successful vs. unsuccessful pieces. Look for what they share: topic, headline style, image, format.
4. CTR. Low CTR with many impressions often points to a weak image or headline.

There are no queries in this report, because Discover has none.

Why Discover traffic is volatile

• Each piece lives in the feed only briefly, so traffic depends on publishing frequency.
• Recommendations shift with user interests and algorithm updates.
• One piece can bring a sharp spike while the next brings almost nothing.

So treat Discover as an additional channel, not a foundation. Building a revenue forecast on it is risky; search traffic and your own audience are the reliable base.

Common mistakes

• Blocking large previews via robots settings or not specifying a main image.
• Using a logo or a small picture instead of an illustration.
• Writing clickbait headlines to chase CTR.
• Drawing conclusions from one spike and changing strategy because of one drop.