Google Discover Settings: How to Get Discovered
Let me be brutally honest with you: if you’re not showing up on Google Discover, you’re missing out on a goldmine of free, targeted, mobile-first traffic that could skyrocket your blog or brand — without you lifting a finger on keyword research. Yeah, I said it.
Most people still have no clue what Google Discover even is. Or worse — they think it’s some mysterious, algorithmic sorcery reserved only for big brands, lifestyle influencers, or news publishers.
That’s bull.
You can get discovered. Even if you’re new. Even if your blog is just a few months old. Even if your niche isn’t “mainstream.” You just need to know how the heck the system works, tweak your settings, post the right kind of content — and understand what Google’s looking for in a Discover-worthy article.
And that’s exactly what this post is about.
🔍 What the Heck Is Google Discover?
Let’s clear this up first — because if you are going to play the game, you need to know the rules..
Google Discover is that feed of personalized articles, videos, and stories you see when you open the Google app on your phone. It’s not search. You don’t type anything. Google just gives you stuff it thinks you want to see.
Think TikTok but for content.
It’s predictive. It’s scrollable. It’s addictive. And if your content lands there? You can get 100,000+ impressions overnight.
💥 Why Google Discover Matters (Way More Than You Think)
You know SEO, right? All that keyword research, backlink building, and trying to rank on Page 1?
Well, Google Discover is SEO’s cool younger brother.
Here’s why it matters:
It drives insane traffic, especially to visual, timely, and niche content.
Your audience doesn’t even have to search — Google just feeds them your content.
It works beautifully for mobile-first, news, fitness, lifestyle, and food blogs.
It rewards freshness, engagement, and brand trust more than just keywords.
So yeah. If you want eyeballs on your stuff without grinding the SEO hamster wheel 24/7 — get in the Discover game.
🛠️ Google Discover Settings 101 (And What You Can Actually Control)
Okay, this part’s critical. If your Google account settings aren’t set up right, you’ll never see your own content in Discover — let alone get other people to see it.
Let’s break it down.
✅ 1. Turn ON Web & App Activity
Google uses your activity to personalize Discover. So, if you don’t have this turned on, you won’t see relevant suggestions — and that includes your own content.
To check it:
Tap “Web & App Activity”
Toggle it ON
Bonus tip: Also turn on Include Chrome history and Include voice and audio recordings for maximum personalization.
✅ 2. Enable Google Discover in Your App
This one’s easy but easy to miss:
Open the Google App
Tap your profile pic > Settings
Go to General > Discover
Make sure it’s toggled ON
Still not seeing it? Try clearing the cache or reinstalling the app.
✅ 3. Check Google News Settings (If You’re a Publisher)
This is for you if you’re trying to run a news site or timely blog (fitness, wellness, trends, etc.).
Make sure your Google Publisher Center is set up properly:
Submit your website
Validate ownership via Search Console
Follow the Google News Content Policies (they matter, big time)
Google pulls some content for Discover from News-eligible sites — so this step is gold if you want an edge.
🔮 How to Actually Get Discovered (What Google Looks For)
Here’s the meat of it — how the heck do you get into Google Discover? What kind of content works?
Buckle up. Let’s break it into actionable stuff you can do today.
🖼️ 1. Use BIG, Bold, Beautiful Images
Google Discover is VISUAL. Like, super visual.
You want:
Featured images at least 1200px wide
No watermarks or logos
Images that match the emotion of the headline
Eye-catching visuals, not boring stock stuff
Example: If you’re writing “How I Lost 30lbs in 60 Days Without Starving,” don’t use a photo of a salad. Use a transformation pic. Use emotion.
💡 Pro tip: Add this meta tag to your page header:
This tells Google: “Hey, you can use my big images in Discover.” DO IT.
🔥 2. Write Emotionally Charged Headlines
If your headline doesn’t get clicks, Discover won’t keep showing your post.
So ditch the bland SEO titles and go raw:
❌ “10 Tips to Lose Weight”
✅ “I Lost 42lbs in 3 Months Doing This One Weird Thing”
Yes, it’s clickbaity. But if it’s real, it works.
💡 Use CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer to punch up your titles.
🕒 3. Stay Fresh, Stay Relevant
Google Discover LOVES content that’s:
Timely
Seasonal
Trending
Relatable
So update your blog regularly. Tweak old posts. Add 2025 to your headlines. Inject now-ness.
🤳 4. Focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Even if Discover isn’t pure SEO, Google still cares about who’s behind the post.
Add an author bio
Link to your socials
Use HTTPS
Build brand signals (logos, favicon, consistent tone)
If you’re anonymous, inactive, or sketchy — you won’t last in Discover.
📱 5. Make It Mobile-First (Because Discover Is)
Most Discover traffic comes from Android phones.
So:
Use a responsive design
Fast load times (use lazy loading, compressed images, caching plugins)
No popups or interstitials
Big font, scannable layout
💡 Pro tip: Test your site with PageSpeed Insights and fix whatever’s red.
📈 What Happens When You Get Picked by Google Discover
So you followed all the steps, made your site fast, wrote that juicy headline, and boom — one day, you wake up and see 38,947 impressions in Google Search Console.
Welcome to Google Discover.
Here’s what to expect:
Traffic spikes out of nowhere — and I mean massive.
People don’t bounce like they do from search. Discover users stick around.
You might even go viral — especially if you’re in a niche like fitness, lifestyle, health, productivity, or news.
But here’s the real kicker: the Discover algorithm is emotional + behavioral.
If people engage (click, scroll, dwell), your content sticks in the feed longer. If they swipe past you, you’re out.
So you’ve gotta keep hitting home runs. Not every post will land, but the ones that do? Oh boy.
💡 Real Examples of Google Discover Gold
Let’s talk real-world success for a sec.
🧑⚕️ Health & Wellness Blog:
Posted a raw story titled “I Quit Sugar for 90 Days: Here’s What Happened”.
Used big emotional header image. Simple story.
→ Got picked up in Discover. 120K impressions in 2 weeks. 5K new email subs.
🍝 Food Blogger:
Published a post called “21 Easy Air Fryer Recipes Even My Kids Love”
→ Discover picked it up right before New Year’s (hello resolutions).
→ 74K impressions. 4.2K traffic bump in 48 hours.
🚴 Fitness Niche:
Title: “This 30-Minute Walking Plan Helped Me Burn Fat Without the Gym”
→ Got featured in Google Discover for 9 days.
→ 180K impressions. 9,800 clicks.
So what do they all have in common?
Relatable titles
Clear imagery
Short paragraphs
Fast-loading mobile pages
Real emotion
🗓️ How Often Should You Post for Discover?
Here’s the thing: Discover doesn’t work on a post-once-a-month schedule.
You’ve got to be active.
Ideal Posting Schedule:
2–4 high-quality posts per week
Fresh, timely, and engaging stuff
Update old posts — especially if they ranked before
If you’re in a fast-moving niche (health, food, tech, trends), aim for 3–5 posts/week.
But never sacrifice quality for quantity. Every piece needs to hit hard.
🚫 Mistakes That Kill Your Google Discover Visibility
Even one of these can bury you. Don’t mess this up:
❌ 1. No Featured Image or Low-Res Image
Discover is visual. If your image sucks or it’s too small, you’re toast.
❌ 2. Clickbait with No Substance
Sure, spicy titles work. But if your content doesn’t deliver, users bounce — and Discover drops you.
❌ 3. Ignoring Mobile Speed
Slow mobile = instant swipe.
❌ 4. Reposting Other People’s Content
Originality wins. Period.
❌ 5. Not Monitoring Performance
If you’re not checking Search Console’s Discover tab, how will you know what works?
📊 How to Know If You’re Actually in Google Discover
You don’t get a big notification or a golden ticket. But here’s how you check:
Open Google Search Console
Look on the left-hand sidebar
Click on Performance > Discover
If it’s blank, you’re not there — yet.
If it shows data, congrats — your site’s in.
You’ll see:
Impressions (how many people saw it)
Clicks (how many tapped it)
CTR (click-through rate)
Pro tip: Posts that hit 5%+ CTR in Discover tend to stick around longer.
💬 Bonus: Real Talk About Content That Wins
Here’s the kind of stuff that works like a charm in Discover:
Personal stories (especially transformation-based)
How-to posts (with visual steps)
Lists (but not boring ones — give ’em life)
Opinion pieces (as long as they’re authentic)
Seasonal content (like “Best Summer Smoothies” in May)
And don’t forget the emotional hook — every post needs a human angle.
🛠 Tools That Help You Optimize for Discover
These are your behind-the-scenes weapons:
Google Search Console (to track Discover performance)
PageSpeed Insights (to fix mobile issues)
CoSchedule Headline Analyzer (to spice up your titles)
Canva or Photoshop (for custom, punchy featured images)
Grammarly or Hemingway Editor (to clean up your writing)
If you’re serious about cracking the Discover code, these tools are your daily grind.
✍️ Final Thoughts: You Can Get Discovered — Even If You’re New
Look, I get it. Discover feels like this elite playground where only “big sites” hang out. But the truth?
Google wants relevant, helpful, engaging content — and they don’t care if it came from a newbie blogger or a billion-dollar brand.
If your story is real, your post is fast, your visuals pop, and your writing connects? You’ve got a shot.
So go mess with your Google Discover settings.
Fix your mobile layout.
Write that raw post you’ve been sitting on.
Track what hits. Repeat what works.
Because when it lands, it’s not just traffic. It’s momentum.
And momentum changes everything.
Want more raw blogging tips like this? Stick around — or better yet, hit subscribe. You’re one Discover feature away from your biggest traffic day yet.