Google Discover: How to Become Eligible and Earn Traffic
Discover shows people content matched to their interests, with no search needed. There is no tag to add and no way to request placement, but Google lists what improves your chances. This guide covers eligibility, image requirements, content rules, why traffic swings, and how to monitor it.
- Eligibility rules
- Large image setup
- Avoid clickbait
- Discover report
width >= 1200 px pixels > 300,000 ratio 16:9 max-image-preview:large
Discover is a part of Google Search that shows content matched to people’s interests. Content can appear automatically if it is indexed and meets Discover’s content policies. No special tags or structured data are needed, and eligibility is not a guarantee. To improve your chances, publish helpful, timely content, use a large high-quality image (at least 1200 px wide, enabled with max-image-preview:large), write accurate non-clickbait titles and keep a good page experience.
What Discover is
Discover is a part of Google Search that shows people content matched to their interests, based on their Web and App Activity. Unlike search, nobody types a query, so you cannot target a keyword the way you do in keyword research.
Eligibility
| Point | What Google says |
|---|---|
| How content appears | Automatically, if indexed and within Discover content policies |
| Special markup | No special tags or structured data needed |
| Guarantee | Eligible does not mean guaranteed to appear |
| Older content | Can appear if still helpful and relevant |
| Violations | May receive manual actions, shown in Search Console |
Start by making sure the page is indexed: see check if your website is indexed and the manual actions report.
Content and quality rules
- Discover uses many of the same signals and systems as Search to judge helpfulness, so follow people-first content guidance (see E-E-A-T).
- Avoid clickbait: no misleading or exaggerated titles, snippets or images, and do not withhold key information needed to understand the topic.
- Write titles and headlines that accurately capture the content.
- Avoid sensationalism that exploits morbid curiosity, titillation or outrage.
- Publish content that is timely, tells a story well or offers unique insight.
- Provide a strong overall page experience (see Core Web Vitals).
Image requirements
<meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:large">
Google tries to crop images automatically. If you crop manually, keep important details in frame and make sure the crop works for landscape display. Avoid generic images such as logos and text-heavy images. See image SEO and robots preview controls.
What Discover filters out
Discover aims for content suited to interest-based feeds, such as articles and videos. Google’s examples of content it may not recommend include job applications, petitions, forms, code repositories and satirical content lacking context. It also uses SafeSearch and filters content that may seem shocking or unexpected.
Prepare a post for Discover step by step
Confirm it is indexed
Use URL Inspection.
Write an accurate headline
No bait, no withheld information.
Add a large image
1200 px wide or more, relevant, not a logo.
Allow large previews
Set max-image-preview:large and og:image.
Check page experience
Fast, readable, no intrusive layout.
Watch the Discover report
Impressions, clicks and CTR.
Why Discover traffic fluctuates
Google says Discover traffic is less predictable than keyword-driven search traffic, so treat it as supplemental. Causes include changing user interests (which may be partly based on search activity), adjustments to the content types shown such as sports, health, entertainment and lifestyle, and search updates, since Discover extends Search. Changes can occur even when quality or publishing frequency has not changed, and sometimes no action is needed after an update.
The Performance report for Discover shows impressions, clicks and CTR for content that appeared in the last 16 months, only when a minimum impression threshold is met. It includes Chrome traffic. See the Performance report.
Notes for WordPress sites
- Featured image size: upload at 1280×720 or larger (my own practical note) so the og:image meets the width guidance.
- Yoast: it outputs og:image from the featured image; confirm in page source (my own note). See Yoast SEO settings.
- Preview directive: check that no plugin or setting limits image previews.
- Update dates: keep content genuinely fresh rather than changing dates alone (my own note). See update old blog posts.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Possible cause (my own diagnosis) | Action |
|---|---|---|
| No Discover data | Below impression threshold or not shown | Keep publishing helpful content |
| Traffic spike then drop | Normal fluctuation | Do not overreact; check for manual actions |
| Small thumbnail only | Image too small or large preview not enabled | Use 1200 px+ and max-image-preview:large |
| Manual action notice | Content policy violation | Fix and request review |
Checklist
Eligibility
- Page indexed
- No manual action
- Policies met
- Helpful content
Title
- Accurate
- No clickbait
- No sensationalism
- Key info not withheld
Image
- 1200 px wide or more
- 16:9
- max-image-preview:large
- og:image set
Monitoring
- Discover report
- Expect swings
- Do not rely on it
- Supplement search
What Google’s page does not say
It does not give the minimum impression threshold for report data, how Discover ranks content beyond signals shared with Search, how much weight images carry, how long content stays eligible, any way to request or guarantee placement, the full content policies (only linked), or whether AMP is required rather than one of two ways to enable large images.
Key terms
- Discover
- Interest-based content feed in Google.
- max-image-preview
- Robots setting allowing large previews.
- Clickbait
- Misleading or exaggerated titles and images.
- Manual action
- Penalty reported in Search Console.
Common mistakes
Looking for a Discover tag
None exists.
Clickbait headlines
Against recommendations.
Logo as the image
Generic images are discouraged.
Small images
Below 1200 px wide.
Relying on Discover
Traffic is unpredictable.
Related guides
Google Discover questions
Do I need special markup for Discover?
No. No special tags or structured data are needed.
Is eligibility a guarantee?
No. Eligible content is not guaranteed to appear.
How big should images be?
Ideally at least 1200 px wide, over 300,000 pixels, 16:9, with max-image-preview:large enabled.
Can old content appear?
Yes, if it remains helpful and relevant.
Why did my traffic drop?
Discover traffic is less predictable; interests, content types and updates all change it.
Where do I see Discover data?
The Discover Performance report in Search Console, covering 16 months.
Can I request placement?
Google’s page does not describe any way to.
Is AMP required?
Not stated; AMP is one of two ways to enable large images.
Eligibility, recommendations, image specs, filtering, fluctuation causes and report details come from Google’s page. The step plan, WordPress notes, troubleshooting and checklists are my own.