Google Discover Follow Feed: How to Optimize and Increase Your Traffic
Google recently updated its Discover Follow feed guidelines to emphasize the importance of two elements: the feed <title> and <link> elements. This update highlights the need for publishers to properly optimize their RSS or Atom feeds in order to participate in the Discover Follow feature and receive traffic from it. In this article, we will take a closer look at the Discover Follow feature, the updated guidelines, and how to optimize your feed for Google Discover.
What is the Google Discover Follow Feature?
Google Discover is a way for Chrome Android users to discover relevant content matched to their interests. The Follow feature, which is a component of Google Discover, allows users to choose to receive updates about the latest content on a site they are interested in. This feature works by allowing users to follow a website or a specific category of a website, depending on how the publisher configures their RSS/Atom feeds. If the feed is properly optimized, new content will populate the user's Discover Follow feed, bringing fresh waves of traffic to participating websites.
Currently, the Follow button is available to signed-in users in English in the US, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, Canada, and Australia that are using Chrome Android.
The Importance of Properly Optimized Feeds
According to Google, "The most important content for the Follow feature is your feed <title> element and your per item <link> elements. Make sure your feed includes these elements." The absence of these two elements may result in Google being unable to understand the feed and display it for users, resulting in a loss of traffic.
Many content publishers may be unaware of how to optimize for Google Discover in order to enjoy the loads of traffic that results from properly optimizing for Google Discover and the Follow feature.
Optimizing Your Feed for Google Discover
To optimize your feed for Google Discover, you should verify that your RSS or Atom feeds properly display the <title> and <link> elements. Additionally, you should also make sure that your feed is in a supported format, such as RSS or Atom, and that it is well-formed and valid.
Here are a few additional tips for optimizing your feed for Google Discover:
- Use a clear and descriptive <title> element for each item in your feed.
- Use a unique and permanent <link> element for each item in your feed.
- Use the <author> and <category> elements to provide additional context about the content of your feed.
- Use the <content> or <description> elements to provide a summary of the content of your feed.
- Use the <pubDate> element to indicate when the content of your feed was published.
- Use the <guid> element to provide a unique identifier for each item in your feed.
- Use the <enclosure> element to provide a link to a media file, such as an image or video, associated with the item in your feed.
By following these tips, you can ensure that your feed is properly optimized for Google Discover and the Follow feature, which will increase your chances of receiving traffic from it.
Conclusion
The Google Discover Follow feature is an important way for Chrome Android users to discover relevant content matched to their interests and for publishers to receive a steady stream of relevant traffic. By properly optimizing your RSS or Atom feeds and following the updated guidelines, you can increase your chances of receiving traffic from the Discover Follow feature. Be sure to read Google's announcement of the updated guidance and read the complete Follow Feature feed guidelines to ensure your website is optimized for Google Discover.
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