At the Google Search Central Live event held in Zurich last December, Clara Soteras provided illuminating insights on how brands and e-commerce platforms can strategically leverage Google Discover.
As a significant traffic source for news publishers, Discover currently showcases resilience against the rising tide of AI. This piqued my curiosity regarding potential avenues beyond traditional newsrooms.
Yet, in her talk, John Mueller reiterated a crucial warning: Google Discover traffic, while initially free, could eventually diminish to negligible levels. This mirrors the trend many brands face with declining Google traffic.
I had the opportunity to engage with Clara on IMHO to delve deeper into the mechanisms at play, what is currently effective, what may be faltering, and the prospects for 2026.
Clara serves as head of innovation and digital strategy at AMIC and is also a professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where she instructs on SEO for news across various business schools.
“Discover allows for the opportunity to engage with audiences unaware of their need for your content.”
Discover: A Central Channel with Caveats
In a recent article entitled “Why Publishers Should Worry About Growing Reliance on Google Discover,” Press Gazette illuminated the fact that 68% of Google traffic to 2,000 global news websites derived from Discover, compared to just 32% from traditional search.
I posed the question to Clara: Could Discover serve as a lifeline for news publishers grappling with the implications of AI?
She acknowledged the prevailing sentiment among publishers: “For many publishers, Google Discover is the primary traffic channel today. It presents a valuable opportunity for reaching diverse audiences, increasing page views, and overall traffic.”
However, Clara swiftly clarified the distinctions between Discover and conventional search. The criteria for ranking are markedly different, and publishers who mistakenly consider Discover merely as an extension of their search strategy are misjudging its potential.
“While the foundational elements remain similar, understanding factors like image placement, titles, and headlines is essential for success in Google Discover,” she stated.
She also highlighted that not all content categories resonate equally within the feed, with politics often relegated to the background. To gain Discover visibility, publishers must focus on lifestyle, sports, and culturally relevant themes.
Free Traffic Today, Zero Tomorrow
At the Zurich event, John Mueller stressed a vital message: publishers should avoid reliance on a single traffic source for 90% of their audience. Inquiring whether this posed risks in transferring dependency from Google SERP traffic to Discover, I sought Clara’s perspective on diversifying channels.
Clara elaborated, “In Zurich, John reiterates a consistent caution from Google, warning publishers that the traffic influx from Google Discover isn’t guaranteed and could vanish overnight.”
This inherent volatility is palpable. “We’ve seen publishers start with substantial traffic only to face closure months later due to abrupt declines,” she noted.
When discussing a balanced approach, Clara said it largely hinges on the publisher’s scale and niche. “A publisher should not rely on more than 90% traffic from Google Discover—should it choose to overlook your site, you risk losing your entire audience, as it’s not a loyal following.”
Discover traffic operates passively, algorithmically embedded in user feeds. She advocated that publishers diversify their strategies, harness social media, collaborate with content creators, and consider fostering community engagement around their topics.
Capitalizing on Discover: Brand Strategies
Clara’s presentation in Zurich elucidated a strategy that many brands have yet to embrace: applying newsroom tactics to both Discover and e-commerce platforms.
Google has enhanced the Discover feed, enabling users to follow not just news publishers but also entities, creators, and brands. This evolution presents a fresh realm of possibilities.
“While search is typically the predominant channel for commerce—the user is already familiar with your brand—Discover creates avenues for drawing in and influencing those entirely unaware of their needs.”
Her approach for brands adopts methodologies employed by successful newsrooms: monitoring social discourse, aligning content with current trends, and executing swiftly.
“When formulating a strategy for a brand, we must address the prevailing trend. Our content concerning products and services should closely align with these trends.”
Currently, Clara collaborates with content teams across various companies to refine Discover-specific strategies.
Effective headlines should ideally exceed 13 words, images must be selected with precision, and brands should cultivate entity authority through a consistent cluster publishing strategy pertaining to specific entities.
“Among the most effective ranking factors are the image, the headline, and the ongoing relationship with the entity to establish authority.”
AI-Generated Content: A Double-Edged Sword
Andy Almeida from Google’s Trust and Safety team reported that nearly 20% of sites recommended by Discover are AI-generated, coining the phrase “AI slop is infiltrating the online landscape.”
In light of this, I queried Clara about the potential threat posed by AI content on authentic news publishers and how they might counteract it.
Clara acknowledged that while AI content can achieve rankings on Discover, Google’s quality assurance team is actively enforcing penalties against AI-generated or misleading content in the feed.
“If AI-generated content or misinformation is identified, corrective action could be mandated to rectify such content.”
Furthermore, she shared a compelling case study that showcases the disparity in performance between AI-generated and human-produced content.
“A client utilized various AI tools for basic content creation, which was later refined by journalists. The performance metrics revealed a stark contrast: 100 views for AI-generated articles versus 12,000 for those crafted by humans.”
Clara emphasizes that while AI can assist in generating ideas and strategic frameworks, the actual content must originate from human authorship. Human-generated content consistently outperforms AI in Discover rankings, and she posits that Google will continue to favor this trend.
“AI can certainly provide inspiration and strategy; however, content production must remain a human endeavor, led by journalists.”
The Unbeatable Human Touch
While Google Discover is undoubtedly a formidable channel, its inherently unstable algorithm poses risks.
Nevertheless, it opens new doors for brands and e-commerce platforms. The Discover feed has evolved beyond a mere news outlet, and Clara’s efforts to integrate newsroom strategies into commercial content offer an uncharted opportunity for brands.
In an era where AI rewrites search outputs and shapes content, the true competitive edge lies in human expertise, editorial insight, and the agility to respond swiftly to contemporary relevance.
Source link: Searchenginejournal.com.
