(And How Not to Cock It Up)
Right, let’s talk about Google Discover, that mysterious little feed that sits there on your phone like a digital oracle, somehow knowing exactly which rabbit holes you’re most likely to disappear down at 2 AM.
As someone who’s spent the better part of a decade trying to crack the code of getting people to actually read what I write (spoiler: it’s harder than it looks), I’ve become rather obsessed with Discover. Not in a creepy, algorithmically-dependent way, but more like how you become obsessed with a particularly good crossword clue that you know you can solve if you just think about it differently.
What Actually Is This Thing?
Google Discover is essentially Google’s attempt at being a mind reader. It’s that personalised feed that pops up when you open Chrome on your phone, or when you swipe right on your Android home screen, serving up articles and videos based on what Google thinks you might fancy reading.
The beautiful thing about Discover, and this is where it gets interesting for us bloggers, is that it doesn’t require people to actively search for anything. It’s discovery in the truest sense. Someone might stumble across your piece about sustainable gardening whilst they’re ostensibly looking for cat videos. Serendipity at its finest.
But here’s where most people get it wrong: they think there’s some secret handshake, some backdoor deal you need to strike with Google to get your content featured. Bollocks. It’s not about gaming the system; it’s about understanding what the system actually rewards.
The Truth About Getting Featured (Spoiler: It’s Not What You Think)
After watching my own articles appear and disappear from Discover like a temperamental house guest, I’ve learned that Google Discover fundamentally rewards one thing above all else: genuinely helpful content that real humans actually want to read.
I know, I know. Revolutionary stuff there, Owen. But you’d be surprised how many bloggers still think they can trick their way into that feed with some sort of SEO wizardry.
The reality is refreshingly straightforward: Discover surfaces pages that are already indexed and meet Google’s content policies. Your job isn’t to crack some mystical code, it’s to create content so bloody useful that Google can’t help but show it to people.
Think of Discover as the friend who knows exactly what book to recommend based on what you’ve been reading lately. It’s not trying to manipulate you; it’s trying to be genuinely helpful. The algorithm rewards that same genuine helpfulness in the content it chooses to feature.
The Headlines That Actually Work (And Why Clickbait Is Dead)
Here’s something I learned the hard way: the headlines that perform best in Discover aren’t the shouty, clickbaity ones that make you feel slightly dirty for clicking. They’re the ones that make a clear, honest promise about what you’ll get if you read on.
Instead of “This One Weird Trick Will EXPLODE Your Blog Traffic!” (which, let’s be honest, makes me want to throw my phone into the nearest bin), try something like “How I Doubled My Blog Traffic in Six Months Without Spending a Penny.” Same information, but one feels like a conversation with a mate, whilst the other feels like being accosted by a particularly aggressive market trader.
The key is capturing the essence of your article without resorting to sensationalism. People have developed quite sophisticated bullshit detectors these days. When your headline overpromises and your content underdelivers, not only do people bounce faster than a rubber ball, but Google notices too. And Google, rather like an elephant, has a very good memory.
I’ve found that the headlines that work best in Discover are the ones that would work just as well in a text message to a friend. “Here’s what I learned about X”, or “Why everyone’s getting Y completely wrong”, or “The honest truth about Z that nobody talks about.” Conversational, specific, and authentic.
Images That Don’t Make People Want to Gouge Their Eyes Out
Let’s talk about visuals for a moment, because this is where I see so many bloggers shooting themselves in the foot with rusty ammunition.
Google recommends images that are at least 1200 pixels wide, and there’s a good reason for that: when someone’s scrolling through Discover on their phone (which is how most people consume this content), your image needs to look crisp and professional, not like it’s been saved and re-saved seventeen times through a potato.
But here’s the thing that really matters: your images need to actually relate to your content. I know that sounds blindingly obvious, but you’d be amazed at how many articles I see with completely generic stock photos that have absolutely nothing to do with the topic at hand.
If you’re writing about productivity, don’t just slap on a photo of someone typing at a MacBook in a coffee shop (we’ve all seen that photo approximately 47,000 times). Find or create an image that actually illustrates your specific point. Maybe it’s a before-and-after screenshot of your own workspace organisation, or a photo of the actual notebook system you’re recommending.
The best images in Discover are the ones that make you stop scrolling because they’re genuinely interesting or helpful, not just because they’re shiny. Think less Instagram influencer, more BBC documentary.
Timing: The Art of Being Relevant Without Being Desperate
Here’s where it gets a bit more nuanced. Discover loves timely content, but not in the breathless, news-cycle-chasing way that most people think.
Yes, if something significant happens in your niche, there’s value in being quick off the mark with thoughtful analysis. When iOS updates change something fundamental about app development, or when new research emerges about climate change, or when a major platform changes its algorithm, that’s your moment to provide genuinely useful context and guidance.
But, and this is crucial, don’t become one of those bloggers who chase every fleeting trend like a dog chasing cars. I’ve watched too many good writers burn themselves out trying to comment on every micro-controversy or jump on every viral moment.
The content that performs best in Discover over the long term is what I call “evergreen with a twist”, foundational information that remains valuable, but with fresh insights or updated perspectives that reflect current realities.
For instance, instead of writing “How to Start a Blog in 2024” for the thousandth time, you might write “What I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Started Blogging (Lessons from 5 Years of Mistakes).” Same basic information, but with the kind of personal insight and hard-won wisdom that actually helps people.
The Mobile Experience (Or: How Not to Drive People Away Before They’ve Read Your First Sentence)
This might be the most important section of this entire piece, so pay attention: if your site is a nightmare to navigate on mobile, you might as well not bother with Discover at all.
I’m talking about those sites that take seventeen seconds to load, then immediately assault you with three pop-ups asking for your email address, cookie preferences, and your firstborn child. Sites where the text is so small you need a magnifying glass, or so large it feels like it’s shouting at you. Sites with more ads than content, or with navigation menus that seem designed by someone who has never actually used a mobile phone.
Here’s a simple test: open your site on your phone. Can you read your latest article without squinting, zooming, or wanting to throw your device out the window? If the answer is no, fix that before you worry about anything else.
Google’s entire business model depends on people having good experiences with the content it recommends. If your site consistently frustrates users, Google will stop sending them your way. It’s not personal; it’s just business sense.
The technical bits matter too: compress your images so they load quickly, minimise your code so pages snap into view, use responsive design so everything scales properly across devices. But the philosophy behind all this technical optimisation is simple: respect your readers’ time and attention.
The Traffic Rollercoaster (And Why That’s Actually Fine)
Here’s something they don’t tell you in the “How to Get Rich Quick with Blogging” courses: Discover traffic is inherently volatile. One month, you might see a massive spike that makes you feel like you’ve cracked the code. The next month, crickets.
This isn’t a reflection of your content quality; it’s just how personalised feeds work. People’s interests evolve, Google adjusts its algorithms, and new content competes for attention. It’s like the weather: largely unpredictable and completely outside your control.
The mistake I see bloggers make is treating Discover like their primary traffic strategy. It’s not. It’s a lovely bonus, like finding a tenner in an old jacket pocket, but it shouldn’t be the foundation of your entire content strategy.
Your primary focus should always be on building direct relationships with your readers. Email lists, social media followers, RSS subscribers, and people who bookmark your site and check back regularly. These are the people who genuinely care about what you have to say, regardless of what any algorithm decides to do.
Discover becomes much more enjoyable when you think of it as serendipitous exposure rather than a traffic lifeline. It’s the difference between hoping to win the lottery and building a proper investment portfolio.
Actually Measuring What Matters
Google Search Console has a specific Discover report that shows you which of your articles have appeared in the feed, along with impressions, clicks, and click-through rates. This data is pure gold for understanding what resonates with people.
But here’s what I’ve learned from poring over these reports: the articles that perform best in Discover often aren’t the ones you’d expect. Sometimes it’s a throwaway post you wrote in twenty minutes that captures people’s imagination. Sometimes it’s a deeply researched piece that you spent weeks on. The unpredictability is part of the charm.
What you’re looking for in these reports are patterns. Do your personal stories perform better than your how-to guides? Do your contrarian takes get more engagement than your consensus views? Do people prefer your shorter, punchier pieces or your longer, more detailed analysis?
Use this data to inform your future content, but don’t let it dictate everything you write. Some of the most important things you’ll ever say might not perform well in Discover, and that doesn’t make them less valuable.
The Follow Button (And Why RSS Isn’t Dead)
Here’s a feature that most bloggers completely ignore: in some regions, Chrome users can tap a Follow button to subscribe to your RSS or Atom feed. It’s Google’s way of letting people opt in to regular updates from sites they discover and enjoy.
Setting this up is straightforward; you just need to provide a feed and include the appropriate metadata in your site’s header. But the implications are profound: it transforms casual discovery into ongoing relationship.
RSS might seem quaint in the age of social media algorithms, but there’s something beautifully honest about it. People who subscribe to your RSS feed have made a deliberate choice to hear from you regularly. They’re not subject to the whims of whatever algorithm is deciding what to show them this week.
I’ve found that readers who discover me through Discover and then subscribe to my RSS feed tend to be some of my most engaged audience members. They’ve chosen to move from passive consumption to active following, which is exactly the kind of progression you want.
The Bigger Picture (Or: Why This All Actually Matters)
At its heart, Google Discover represents something quite profound about how people consume content in the modern world. We’re moving away from the active, intentional searching that defined the early web towards a more ambient, serendipitous kind of discovery.
This shift has huge implications for bloggers and content creators. It means that quality and relevance matter more than ever, because you can’t rely on people specifically looking for what you’re offering. Instead, you need to create content so compelling that it earns its place in people’s attention.
The bloggers who succeed in this environment are the ones who understand that they’re not just competing with other blogs in their niche, they’re competing with everything else vying for people’s attention. That Netflix series, that podcast, that friend’s Instagram story, that breaking news alert. Your content needs to be genuinely worth someone’s precious time and mental energy.
This might sound intimidating, but I find it quite liberating. It means you can’t phone it in. You can’t rely on SEO tricks, growth hacks or algorithmic manipulation. You have to actually be good at what you do.
The Uncomfortable Truth About Algorithms
Here’s something I’ve come to believe after years of wrestling with various algorithms: they’re not the enemy. They’re not even particularly mysterious. They’re just really sophisticated systems for matching content with people who might find it useful.
The problem isn’t that algorithms exist; it’s that too many content creators spend their time trying to game them instead of simply creating things worth recommending.
Google Discover works best when you forget it exists and focus instead on the fundamentals: writing clearly, choosing topics that matter to real people, presenting your ideas in genuinely helpful ways, and treating your readers like intelligent human beings rather than traffic statistics.
The algorithm will take care of itself. Your job is to take care of your readers.
What This All Means for You
If you’re a blogger looking to tap into Discover traffic, here’s my honest advice: don’t make it your primary goal. Make creating genuinely useful content your primary goal, and let Discover be a pleasant side effect.
Focus on writing things that would be valuable to read, even if no algorithm ever picked them up. Write headlines that accurately represent what people will get from your content. Choose images that actually enhance understanding rather than just grabbing attention. Make sure your site works beautifully on mobile devices. Monitor your performance to understand what resonates, but don’t let the data override your editorial judgement.
Most importantly, remember that every person who discovers your content through this feed is a real human being with genuine problems, interests, and questions. They’re not traffic. They’re not metrics. They’re people who’ve chosen to spend a few minutes of their finite time engaging with something you created.
Treat that responsibility seriously, and you’ll find that Google Discover becomes not just a traffic source, but a pathway to building the kind of authentic readership that every writer dreams of having.
After all, in a world full of algorithmic noise, the clearest signal you can send is simply being genuinely helpful. Turns out, that’s exactly what Google Discover is looking for, too.
Until Next Time
Discover more from Dominus Owen Markham
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