Google News & Discover
Building Visibility That Lasts
Google Discover and Google News are powerful, but unpredictable traffic sources. They can drive millions of views one month and disappear the next. But success here isn’t random. It comes from building authority, trust, and consistency — the same fundamentals that underpin long-term performance across all of Google’s surfaces.
This is not to say that Google News and Google Discover algorithms are the same, they are not. And there are even different elements at play when it comes to Top Stories boxes, Google News Tab and News.google.com. It's complicated.
I help publishers and content-led businesses dispel this complexity and strengthen their visibility across Discover, News, and Search by combining data analysis with editorial strategy and technical precision.
Understanding the Challenge
Many publishers see huge fluctuations in Google News and (even more so) Google Discover performance — sudden spikes, long quiet periods, or complete visibility drops.
While these platforms may feel unpredictable, the signals that drive them are clear:
- Consistent E-E-A-T ( experience, expertise, authority, trust).
- Fast, technically sound sites.
- Strong content relevance and freshness.
- Well-structured metadata, headline, imagery, and entity clarity.
Relying too heavily on Discover is risky. The algorithms shift rapidly, and visibility can disappear overnight. Yet both Discover and Google News are becoming even more important as AI Overviews reshape how users find information. Discover's personalised feeds and news aren't influenced (yet) by AI overviews. Query Deserves Freshness (QDF) is more important for news and often provides one of the few reliable routes to visibility where AI summaries appear less frequently.
The goal isn’t dependence; it’s balance — using Discover and News effectively while strengthening your direct, Search, and social audiences.
How I Help
I combine editorial, technical, and data-led expertise to help brands recover visibility, grow traffic, and reduce volatility across Google surfaces.
1. Discover Optimisation
I analyse technical issues, engagement data, headline and image strategy, and topical authority to help you publish content that Google confidently recommends to readers.
2. Google News Strategy
From sitemaps and structured data to editorial guidelines, I help teams meet the technical and trust signals Google’s News algorithms rely on — while protecting your brand’s voice and independence.
3. Technical, Entity & Authority Audits
I audit your site’s entity graph to reveal where Google already recognises your expertise and which topics lack strong association. This shows your current entity authority — and the opportunities to build credibility around the subjects that matter most to your audience and business goals.
By aligning on-page content, internal linking, and author signals with these insights, I help you develop authority in new or under-recognised areas, improving performance across Search, Discover, and News.
I have also built tools that specifically test for technical issues that can impact Discover and Google News.
4. Editorial & Workflow Training
I work directly with editorial and audience teams to embed sustainable practices: crafting better headlines, using consistently compelling imagery, and structuring content for clarity and discoverability.
Results That Prove It Works
Whether it's recovery from technical or content issues or due to improved headlines and imagery, I've helped sites grow audiences significantly on Discover. Here are just a few examples.
My Approach
Google’s ecosystem is shifting from queries to context. AI Overviews are changing where and how users see results, and those same entity and authority signals can influence Discover. News, meanwhile, continues to perform strongly in QDF scenarios where AI summaries are less dominant — making it an essential channel for breaking or time-sensitive journalism.
I help clients future-proof their visibility by strengthening the fundamentals: technical health, content clarity, and entity authority. This approach ensures you perform consistently across Search, Discover, and News — without becoming reliant on any single source.
This isn’t about chasing algorithms; it’s about helping your best journalism find the audience it deserves.
Let’s Strengthen Your Visibility
If you’re seeing inconsistent performance or want to build a more resilient Discover and News strategy, let’s talk.
SEO Audits
Auditing a site in-depth using specialised tools and manual checks gives us a website and content health overview.
Technical Fixes
We'll prioritise technical fixes and work with development teams to ensure what needs to get done gets done right.
Train & Track
We'll help train teams to keep doing the right things and implement tracking to make sure it's working.
Tell us about your project
Let us help you get your business online and grow it with passion
We've helped hundreds of sites grow their audiences. Get in touch to see what we can do for you.
Testimonials
See all testimonials"Evan provides best-in-class technical, SERP specific, competitive and EEAT recommendations weekly and as a result has significantly grown traffic and rank across our key Branded and Generic queries."
“Hiring Evan as a consultant was absolutely transformative for the digital side of our business.”
"Working with Evan has opened the door to both a new way of thinking and new approach to creating digital products and digital content. Evan brings to the table a vast array of skills and experience that has been hugely beneficial in supporting the business in assessing, determining and implementing key strategic business actions."
