September 29, 2008 by Matt Thomas
This is a very common issue for blogs and current affairs sites. People come to us constantly complaining that even though they update daily and syndicate content from elsewhere they still cannot get onto Google News. Others raise the question of whether Google News is really worth the hassle.
I’ll deal with the last question first. Yes, Google News is absolutely worth the time it takes to get on there – mainly because it’s one of the top five most viewed news portals in the world. Becoming a part of Google News means increased traffic, exposure, and a much wider audience – all for free.
So how do I get on it?
Well, unfortunately, not everyone can, to maintain the quality of the portal Google are fairly fussy. At a minimum your site needs to contain original content and involve numerous authors, as well as use proper attribution. Your response times also have to be first class.
Original content and attribution are the easy parts. Swelling the ranks becomes harder, google tend to require at least three writers and an editor or two before you stand a chance of getting in. If you’re a one person operation then it’s time to start hitting the forums to try to get some new blood into your site. Google have made it clear that one writer alone will not be admitted – however good you are. Response times refers to the time it will take Google’s news bots to index your site and load it – trim any unnecessary code and have a good look at your systems. Will they be able to handle the excess traffic?
It’s also important to remember that Google news submissions are reviewed by actual human beings. So, in your application be sure to make your case fully and eloquently. Give then a historical overview of the site, describe your staff and stats honestly and in detail, tell them about any awards or high value backlinks, outline exactly how you fulfil the technical requirements and, above all, emphasise the newsworthy aspects of the site.
Follow these rules and you should be well on your way to a world of new traffic.
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