How to Get Your Blog Listed in Google News: A Step-by-Step Guide for Increased Visibility

Getting your blogs listed in Google News can drive significant traffic and visibility. However, there are specific guidelines and best practices that your blog or website must meet to be included. Here’s a step-by-step guide to get your blogs listed in Google News:

1. Meet Google News Content Guidelines

Ensure your content complies with Google News content policies, including:

• Original, high-quality journalism: Your articles must provide valuable, unique, and in-depth content reflecting journalistic integrity.
• Transparency: Provide information about your authors, publish dates, and contact details.
• Authority and expertise: Demonstrate expertise in your field. Author bios and credentials are recommended.
• Clear advertising and sponsored content policies: Sponsored content and ads must be distinguishable from editorial content.

Key Content Policies:

• Don’t include clickbait or misleading headlines.
• Avoid excessive profanity, spam, or violence.
• Ensure articles are newsworthy (timely, relevant).
• No plagiarized content; content must be unique and valuable.

2. Ensure Technical SEO Optimization

Make sure your blog is well-optimized for SEO, with a focus on news-related optimization:

• Structured data (Schema markup): Implement NewsArticle or BlogPosting schema for each blog post, so Google understands that your posts are news-related. Example:

<script  type="application/ld+json">
{ 
    "@context": "https://schema.org", 
    "@type": "NewsArticle", 
    "headline": "Your Article Title", 
    "datePublished": "2024-09-04T08:00:00+00:00", 
    "dateModified": "2024-09-04T09:00:00+00:00",
     "author": {
         "@type": "Person", 
         "name": "Author Name" 
    }, 
    "publisher": { 
        "@type": "Organization", 
        "name": "Your Publication Name",
         "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject",
         "url": "https://www.yourdomain.in/images/logotype/logo-dark.png",
         "width": 250, 
         "height": 60
     }
 },
 "image": { 
    "@type": "ImageObject", 
    "url": "https://www.yourdomain.in/images/blog/your-image.jpg",
     "width": 1200, "height": 630 
   }
 }

        

• Fast load times: Google prefers fast-loading websites for Google News. Make sure your site is optimized for speed.
• Mobile-friendliness: Ensure your blog is responsive and works seamlessly on mobile devices.
• Proper URL structure: Articles should have clear, SEO-friendly URLs.
• AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages): Consider implementing AMP for fast-loading mobile experiences. AMP pages are often prioritized in Google News.

3. Submit Your Website to the Google Publisher Center

To be listed in Google News, you must register your site in the Google Publisher Center.

Steps:

1. Go to the Google Publisher Center.
2. Sign in with your Google account and click on “Add Publication.”
3. Follow the steps to add your website: Provide your website URL and publication name. Categorize your website (e.g., General News, Business, Technology). Verify ownership through Google Search Console (you must have access to your site through GSC).
4. After submitting your site, Google will review it. The process can take several days to weeks.

4. Publish Newsworthy Content Consistently

Google News prioritizes websites that regularly publish fresh and newsworthy content. Your blog should:

• Cover timely, trending topics.
• Publish consistently to keep your content updated and relevant.
• Post content in a structured and organized manner.

5. Create News-Specific Sitemaps

Create a news sitemap specifically for your blog content. A news sitemap helps Google News to quickly find and index your latest articles.

Example News Sitemap:

<urlset xmlns="https://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"
            xmlns:news="https://www.google.com/schemas/sitemap-news/0.9">

<url>
    <loc>https://www.yourdomain.in/blog-url</loc>
        <news:news>
            <news:publication>
                <news:name>Publication Name</news:name>
                <news:language>en</news:language>
            </news:publication>
            <news:publication_date>2023-07-20T12:30:00+00:00</news:publication_date>
            <news:title>News / Article Title</news:title>
        </news:news> 
    </url>
</urlset>        

Submit this sitemap in Google Search Console under the “Sitemaps” section.

6. Build Authority and Backlinks

Google News prioritizes authoritative sites. To build authority:

• Get backlinks from other credible news outlets and high-authority websites.
• Promote your content on social media and other platforms to increase engagement and mentions.

7. Monitor Performance in Google Search Console

After your site has been submitted, monitor its performance through Google Search Console and Google Publisher Center. Look for indexing issues and resolve them to improve visibility in Google News.

8. Leverage AMP for News Articles

Consider using AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) for your blog posts to improve mobile user experience and increase the chances of your articles being featured in Google News.

9. Apply for Google News Approval

If you follow all the steps above, Google may crawl your blog for Google News automatically. However, if you want to expedite the process, you can apply for manual approval:

1. Sign in to your Google Publisher Center.
2. Submit a request for review after ensuring all guidelines are followed.

Final Tips:

• Maintain high content quality and factual accuracy.
• Avoid duplicate content or keyword stuffing.
• Continuously update older posts to keep them relevant.

Following these steps will increase your chances of getting your blog listed in Google News and drive more traffic to your content.