Google Updates “Get on Discover” Guidance After February Core Update
Following the February Discover core update, Google revised its “Get on Discover” documentation to provide clearer guidance on improving content visibility in Discover.
What Changed
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Titles and clickbait guidance split
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Old: “Use page titles that capture the essence of the content, but in a non-clickbait fashion.”
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New:
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“Use page titles and headlines that capture the essence of the content.”
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“Avoid clickbait and similar tactics to artificially inflate engagement.”
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Note: The term “clickbait” is explicitly mentioned for the first time.
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Sensationalism guidance simplified
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Old: “Avoid tactics that manipulate appeal by catering to morbid curiosity, titillation, or outrage.”
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New: “Avoid sensationalism tactics that manipulate appeal.”
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New page experience recommendation
- Google added: “Provide an overall great page experience,” linking to its Page Experience documentation.
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Unchanged sections
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Image requirements
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Traffic fluctuation guidance
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Performance monitoring
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Why This Matters
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These updates reflect the targets of the February Discover core update:
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Promote locally relevant content
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Reduce sensational and clickbait content
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Surface original content from expert sites
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Page experience guidance is now explicitly included for Discover, even though it’s been part of general Search guidance since 2020.
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Past Discover documentation updates have aligned with broader algorithm changes, including adding Discover to the Helpful Content System and explaining traffic fluctuations.
Looking Ahead
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The February Discover update is rolling out to English-language users in the U.S. over two weeks, with plans to expand globally.
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Publishers monitoring Discover traffic via Search Console should review the updated recommendations.
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Standard core update guidance still applies.