Getting More Traffic and Exposure From Google News Part Two

In Part One of Getting Into Google News, we talked about the traffic benefits of getting listed in Google News, and how to do so using a press release. Next, we’ll delve into how this can be achieved by having content in a publication that’s already in Google News, and what the advantages and pitfalls are.

Before we do that, let’s address a common concern many people have with focusing traffic efforts on Google properties that aren’t part of the web search.

You may be thinking that anything that doesn’t focus your efforts on getting into Google’s web search is a waste of time, or that diverting some of your limited time into pursuing Google News listings is just not worth it. After all, Google has come out with new services that generated a lot of buzz when they were coming out, then abandoned or failed to develop them.

While it’s true that Google sometimes decides not to put certain services they offer at center stage, Google News is definitely Not on the back burner. Though it had an unusually long Beta period, they are constantly improving their news service, testing features like FastFlip to enhance the online experience of the news.

The traffic you will get from Google News is worth the effort, and there’s no reason for it to slow or otherwise inhibit your inclusion in web search. In fact, the extra links you may get could enhance your search ranking.

With that out of the way, let’s answer the question: How Can You Get Into Google News Through a Publication?

To be clear, this method of getting into Google News is through having your featured article, which would include a byline that has a link to your site, appear in a publication that already gets featured in Google News. It’s like having an article appear in Business Week, as opposed to being BusinessWeek yourself.

It follows then that the first thing you must do is discover where news items for your industry would appear in Google.  This is a breeze for a site that features Technology or has business to business customers. It’s harder for, say, a skin care company.

But it’s not impossible, not nearly.

Your first step is to go to Google and do a search for keywords that have led people to your site before, as well as any term you believe your site is about. In this case, skin care. Among those search results, you’ll find sites that have appeared in Google recently for those search terms.

They’ll fall into three categories:

1. Industry publications
2. Press organizations, and,
3. Local news sites

Now, all you have to do is get on the staff of one of these publications, or at least be featured by them once. This is much easier said than done, of course. Most of them require you to have a good reputation, proven expertise, and writing skills in publications you’ve been featured in already. And if you haven’t been keeping up with article marketing, it’s that much harder to demonstrate that you’re any good.

There’s a bit more to it than this to give you the best results, but that’s enough information to get you started. Next time we’ll talk about how to actually BE a  publication that Google News gets its news from in your industry.