American online marketing experts notice a very interesting aspect concerning Google Discover. More precisely, they say that this tool marks the shift from searches to predictions. In other words, if in the past Google focused on users' classic searches, trying to provide the most relevant results for certain keywords, today the search engine skips a step and tries to predict what they will search for, based on their previous online behavior. It's a perspective that some might consider scary, but for which we all have to be ready, especially the online marketing experts.
How is this relevant for businesses? It's very simple: if you use the right techniques, according to Google's terms and conditions, you can reach users, through Google Discover, without them ever searching the keywords you target! It's an opportunity you don't have to miss and, as with all other SEO changes, it's recommended to be among the first to take action and adjust your content and optimization strategy accordingly. Continue reading this article and you will find out how this new tool from Google works and how you can approach it from an SEO point of view.
1. How does Google Discover work?
Google Discover is a "recommendation-based search engine", personalized according to users' search history and their online behavior. This tool can be accessed from the Google app, directly from the Google.com mobile page or, in the case of some Android smartphones, by sliding to the right from the main screen. Previously known as Google Feed, this tool is similar to Facebook's news feed, but it displays recommended content instead of posts from friends or brands. Since over 60% of global internet users prefer mobile over desktop, the new tool of the American IT giant could have a huge impact on the way online content is consumed.
Nowadays, 70% of the time YouTube users spend on site is based on the recommendations made by the biggest video sharing platform in the world. Even if Google Discover will not reach this figure anytime soon, its importance shouldn't be neglected, especially since we are talking about a newly (re)released tool, which hasn't reached its maximum potential. Google's approach, which sets them apart from Facebook and other social media feeds, is concentrating on evergreen content, that could turn out new for certain users.
2. How to optimize for Google Discover?
As with local SEO, online marketing specialists have to learn to create and optimize content for Google Discover too. The procedure is, as before, one of "trial and error", taking into consideration the fact that the algorithms used by the largest search engine in the world are not public. However, based on previous experience and the strategies that worked in the case of classic and local SEO, we can set a few directions and basic guidelines. Once you respect them, they will produce satisfying results, which can be improved in the future. Here are the most important ones:
Create quality content. This is an essential condition in SEO in general. The more original, interesting and relevant for users your content is, the more they will spend browsing it and they will also share it with others. Google "sees" this and, considering the content valuable, it will prioritize showing it to other users as well. When we are talking about "content", we mean both text, as well as vlogs, podcasts, live feeds, and much more.
Promote your content. When you create valuable content, regardless if we are talking about a blog, vlog or infographic, you have to promote it in as many places as possible. Therefore, share it on Facebook, in newsletters, on forum sites such as Reddit, etc. The more places your content reaches in a short period, the more chances it has of becoming viral and being indexed by Google Discover. Furthermore, don't be afraid to ask your clients, friends, and acquaintances to share the content as well.
Use multimedia content. As we mentioned above, "content" doesn't mean only text. Nowadays, when video consumption breaks new and new records and when photos are still "worth a thousand words", you have no reason not to use multimedia in the content you deliver. If you are not sure how to do this from scratch or it seems too hard, you can update older blog articles with photo, audio or video content. Don't forget what we mentioned before: Google Discover loves evergreens.
Focus on mobile. Last but not least, because we are in the middle of the "mobile revolution", you have to concentrate your efforts on this platform. Nowadays, 95% of mobile searches worldwide are made on Google, and Google Discover is only available on mobile devices for now. Therefore, make sure that your mobile website has no errors, and it loads fast.
In conclusion, taking into consideration the fact that Google Discover is still young and logically, the competition for the first positions is not very fierce for now, it's time to catch the trend and experiment as much as you can. If we were to recommend two directions on which to focus, they would be first of all, creating a 100% original and high-quality content, and secondly, following and adapting to the newest SEO trends.
