Want to Appear in Google News? Here’s How to Optimise Your Site for News Coverage

Paul Donnelly
Paul Donnelly
18 Jun 20254 min read
Want to Appear in Google News? Here’s How to Optimise Your Site for News Coverage

When it comes to driving organic visibility for your business, appearing in Google News could significantly accelerate growth.

Depending on the nature of your business, obtaining coverage in Google News could be the big break you’ve been hoping for. And whilst it’s not right for all businesses, if you’re a leader within a niche field or regularly publish original, high-quality content, you should absolutely make use of the platform. We’ve put together this handy guide to help you get your site into Google News to attract new users and build a loyal, engaged audience. Whether you’re just getting started or are trying to rebuild and refresh your existing business, we’ve got the tips to help you succeed. Without further ado, why don’t we jump in!

What is Google News?

Once reserved for dedicated news websites and publishers only, Google News is now a platform that many can take advantage of. Google news is a simple news aggregator service that gathers a range of news articles from a range of sources and presents them within its platform in an organised format that is user-friendly and time-saving. Google News articles appear within the ‘Top Stories’ section at the top of an average Google Search and also within the ‘News’ tab, providing ample opportunity for publishers included in the curated collection to gain traction and thousands of clicks.

Why is it good to appear in Google News?

Appearing in Google News can be a game-changer for businesses wanting to boost traffic, increase trust and build domain authority. Google News offers a unique platform that can accelerate growth by showcasing your content to the masses, reaching a much larger audience than it’s likely you’ll reach by publishing to your website alone. Google is one of the most trusted brands in the world and as a result, appearing in Google News is likely to boost trust in your brand and build long-term audiences that depend on your high-quality and trustworthy content.

How does Google News choose stories?

Much like any and every piece of content that Google ranks, Google News prioritises articles published by trustworthy sources that adhere to their E-E-A-T framework and offer original, high-quality and accurate content that engages users. Google always priorities content written by established authors and sites that conduct their own research, analysis or offer unique opinions and perspectives on a particular subject matter. But this doesn’t mean you need to be a news website to appear within Google News. If you have a timely, relevant and well-written article that enhances an important conversation and your site is built on trust and transparency, you certainly have a good chance of appearing within those ‘Top Stories’.

How can I ensure my site appears in Google News? 

Google News recommends that publications prioritise transparency and originality when it comes to appearing within its ‘Top Stories’. Ensuring that your content isn’t trying to be intentionally deceptive or misguided is crucial to garnering trust with both your audience and Google. Within their official guidelines they say:

“Be transparent: Visitors to your site want to trust and understand who publishes it and information about those who have written articles. That’s why our content guidelines stress that content should have posts with clear bylines, information about authors, and contact information for the publication.” – Google

Providing clear headlines, times and dates of relevant stories is paramount to appearing within Google News. This ensures that Google knows that your article is timely, relevant and fresh. Avoiding duplicate content is another important rule that Google suggests you follow if you want to appear within its news section, but that goes with search engine optimisation (SEO) in general and you shouldn’t be publishing duplicate content throughout your website anyway! Ensuring your site’s structured data is up to scratch and regularly updated where needed is also important to boosting your chances of appearing within Google News. Here’s a quick overview of our top tips for improving your site’s chances of appearing within Google News in 2025:

  • Ensure your content is relevant and regularly updated
  • Write authentic, original articles that utilise primary research and/or analysis and expert opinions
  • Publish author biographies to demonstrate trust
  • Regularly publish high-quality articles
  • Avoid duplicate content or re-written content entirely
  • Ensure structured data is optimised
  • Optimise your website for mobile users & ensure great UX
  • Include your location to be feature in local news
  • Prioritise E-E-A-T
  • Format content logically with descriptive headlines

And there we have it, all of our top tips for getting your site featured within Google News this year. If you need a helping hand with content marketing, SEO or website design, don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll get your site in front of the right audience.

Paul Donnelly
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Paul Donnelly

Paul is our newest developer, bringing a passion for clean code and proper Italian pizza to the team.

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