Once you have an established website, there are many avenues that can be explored to further expand your content’s reach. Besides the obvious point of entry through natural search, you may also opt for other methods, such as sponsored ads (PPC) and referrals. PPC can be an effective way to bring in new visitors, but it can also end up being expensive and may not suit your content if, for example, you are running a not-for-profit website. Referrals can come in many different forms; one of these is Google News.
The News service offered by Google can be a valuable source of traffic for any website. However, getting on the list of approved sites isn’t as simple as getting into the Google search index. You need to put in a manual request for inclusion, and then there are a number of requirements put forward by Google before your site’s content will even be considered. If you meet these guidelines then your website and it’s content will be submitted for a manual review to determine whether it is suitable for Google News.
Make sure your website meets the requirements
Here are some quick tips to help improve your chances of being accepted, by making sure your site and content passes the regulations put forward by Google.
- Only add content that is original – don’t duplicate!
- Make sure your content is of a decent level of quality – consider getting an additional editor to check through content before it is added.
- Ensure you have an established site with plenty of content; a new site will most likely be rejected straight-away, regardless of content quality.
- Use multiple authors for your content; consider teaming up with other writers or accepting guest submissions.
- Create a page with brief details of regular authors, editors and contributors (e.g. An “About Us” or “Contact Us” page)
- Include news-specific sitemaps or make sure you meet the technical requirements.
Following the list of tips above should put you on the right track to getting your content through the approval process. However, other factors may play a part in whether Google accepts your website. For example, a big negative is directly selling or promoting your products or services using the news content. As long as your content is genuinely news, this shouldn’t be a major issue.
Stefan Crowe
Content Developer
