Getting More Traffic and Exposure From Google News Part Three

In the previous post in the Getting Traffic from Google News series, we discussed how to get traffic from Google via Google News by leveraging the various ways to appear in a publication that is already featured in Google News.

Now, let’s talk about the holy grail of Google News exposure – having your site BE a source of news for your topic in the Google News database.  If you’d like to be one of the 25,000 publishers that is sharing 1 billion clicks a month, this just might be for you.

Can Any Site Get Into Google News?

I saved the best scenario for last because, quite frankly, it’s also the hardest to do. It’s not as easy to get into as Google web search. As much as that may sound like a contradiction in terms, you have a MUCH better chance of getting your site into Google’s web search database than into Google’s news site database.

And that’s simply because most sites aren’t news sites, and neither are they news-worthy.

But.

If your site breaks news in your industry, has unique content that isn’t published anywhere else, or has a unique slant on the news, under certain circumstances, your site could be a Google News source.

Let’s look at the official path to becoming a Google News site, then we’ll come back and talk about some tips from one of my favorite sources of search related news.

How to Become a Google News Site, The Official Version

When you decide you want to become a Google News publisher, the first thing you’ll have to decide is whether you’re going to change your current site to meet their guidelines, or whether to start a brand-new site.

Most people are going to start new sites, as Google has some very specific technical requirements for becoming a Google News site, as you’ll see on their help page for Google News publisher hopefuls.

Should you submit once you meet the requirements? Technically you could. But I’d say not so fast. Why just be technically ready when you can demonstrate through your site that your site truly is influential and worth of being included in Google News?

A human being will actually have to take a look at your site and decide whether or not to consider you. Put your best foot forward.

How?

How to Get Into Google News Addendum with My Own Wild Theories and Specultion

I’ve been in several publications that appear in Google news as news sources, but have yet to create one myself, mostly due to time constraints and lack of adequate staffing for my own company, never mind a publication. So take my words with that in mind.

For what it’s worth though, this is my advice, based on what I’ve observed and the applied knowledge I have from helping clients get ranked in Google’s web database and get exposure in other Google web properties over the years.

First, you may want to take a look at the different niches within the site by browsing the categories and popular stories on the Google News home page. Study them and get a feel for what news sites are like.

Second, fill the content deficit. Is there a region you represent that isn’t listed? Is there a niche in your industry that only has a handful of sources? Or do you have better access to news or events than some other publication?

Third, take the advice of other sites that have tried, whether they have failed or succeeded. We’ll come back to that in a sec.

After the Submission Form – Valuable Clues From Also-Rans

For now, let’s just say that you’re sure your site is up to snuff, then you can proceed to the submissions form for Google News. Remember, they are going to be looking at your site, and it may not be simple technical proficiency that gets you listed.

Remember I mentioned that you can learn from others who have tried to get into Google News?

According to a Rejection Letter from Google News that appeared in Search Engine Roundtable, here are a few reasons that you’re not likely to get into Google News.

If your publication does not:

1. Publish news
2. Publish daily
3. Have a staff of writers and editors, rather than one individual,
4. Represent an organization rather than a person,
5. Display both general and contact information for the organization

- it looks like you can expect to be rejected.

What does that mean for you? Make sure you meet those items just in case,  so there won’t be a problem to begin with. Good luck getting into Google News. If you make it, I would totally make myself available for a staff writer position.

Which I’ll then tell the entire free world about.

Hint. Hint.

Additional Resources:

Getting Into Google News Revisited, from Search Engine Roundtable

How to Get Into Google News, from The Online Journalism Review

The Google News Blog. That  article e where they tell you that there are 25,000 publishers in Google News is still on the front pag. If that sounds like a lot, compare that to the billions of web pages they’ve indexed in their search engine.