Getting your blog listed in Google News involves ensuring that your content meets Google News guidelines, setting up the technical aspects of your site correctly, and submitting it for approval. Here’s how you can get started:
Content Guidelines
Google News has specific content guidelines that you need to follow:
- Newsworthiness: Content should be news-oriented and cover current events, including original reporting and analysis.
- Expertise and Trustworthiness: Articles should be written by experts or professional journalists.
- Transparency: Clearly display information about your publication, authors, and contact details.
- Readability: Content should be well-written and free from grammatical errors.
Technical Requirements
Ensure your site meets Google News technical requirements:
- Fast Load Times: Optimise your site for speed.
- Responsive Design: Ensure your site is mobile-friendly.
- Structured Data: Use schema markup to help Google understand your content.
- HTML Sitemap: Create a sitemap and submit it to Google Search Console.
For help with Google Search Console see Why should my website have Google Analytics & Search Console set up? - Robots.txt: Ensure that your robots.txt file is configured correctly and does not block Googlebot from crawling your site. See A Guide to Robots.txt: Best Practices for SEO for more information on this
Creating Quality Content
Regularly publishing high-quality, original news content is crucial. Here are some tips:
- Regular Updates: Frequently update your blog with fresh content.
- Original Reporting: Offer unique perspectives or breaking news that isn’t available elsewhere.
- Author Information: Provide clear author bylines and biographies.
Secure website hosting for your website
At Polyspiral, we take pride in managing a wide range of websites, ensuring they remain secure and operate seamlessly. We proactively prevent or address exploits and other forms of attacks, giving you peace of mind. Additionally, we offer personalised, one-on-one support for every website we host, allowing you to reach out to us with any concerns or to discuss potential new features—at no extra cost. Our hosting services are fully GDPR-compliant and powered entirely by 100% renewable energy, reflecting our commitment to sustainability.
Contact us here if you'd like help with your WordPress website
Technical Setup
Ensure your site’s backend is configured for Google News:
- Use AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): While not mandatory, AMP can help with faster loading times.
- Google Publisher Centre: Use Google Publisher Centre to manage your content and make it available to Google News.
Submit Your Site to Google News
Follow these steps to submit your blog to Google News:
- Google Search Console: Verify your site with Google Search Console.
- Google Publisher Centre:
- Go to Google Publisher Centre.
- Click on “Add Publication” and fill out the necessary information about your site.
- Configure your publication’s sections and content labels (e.g., news, opinion, sports).
- Submit your publication for review.
Monitor and Optimise
After submission, keep an eye on your performance and make necessary adjustments:
- Google Search Console: Use this tool to monitor how Google crawls and indexes your site.
- Analytics: Track your site’s performance using Google Analytics to understand which content is performing well and why.
Stay Updated
Google News policies and algorithms can change, so it’s important to stay updated with any new guidelines or changes in their system.
By following these steps, you can increase the chances of getting your blog listed in Google News. While the process might take some time and approval isn’t guaranteed, consistently providing high-quality, newsworthy content will improve your chances.
