STRATEGY · SEO GLOSSARY
SEO for News
SEO for news is the optimisation of news and editorial content for Google News, Google Discover, Top Stories carousels in SERPs, and NewsArticle structured data — enabling news publishers to capture additional organic visibility beyond standard web search results.
Definition
News SEO differs from standard web SEO because news content is time-sensitive, requires specific schema types, and has eligibility criteria for Google News and Google Discover. **NewsArticle structured data** — the schema type for journalistic content. Required properties: headline (max 110 characters), image (Article images must be ≥1200px wide, have explicit width/height, and be the image that best represents the article), datePublished (ISO 8601 format — when the article was first published, not last modified), dateModified (when the article was last updated — important for news as corrections change this frequently), author Person (byline with name and URL to author profile), publisher Organization with logo (max 600×60px, white background). **Google News eligibility**: Google News doesn\'t have an explicit whitelist/waitlist anymore — it dynamically includes sources based on quality signals. Key signals: clear bylines (NewsArticle author Person schema with author URL), publication dates visible on articles (matching datePublished in schema), transparent ownership/contact information (About page, Contact page), editorial standards and corrections policies, and consistent original reporting. **Top Stories carousel**: Google\'s Top Stories carousel in web search shows recent articles for news-type queries, giving news publishers SERP real estate above blue-link results. Top Stories eligibility requires NewsArticle schema with datePublished within the recency window (typically 3 days for breaking news). **Google Discover**: a content recommendation feed in the Google app and Chrome mobile that surfaces relevant content for users even without an explicit search. Discover traffic can be significant for visual, engaging content — images ≥1200px are required for consideration, and content should be compelling (strong headline CTR signal from users swiping past).
Why it matters for SEO
For news publishers, Google News, Top Stories, and Google Discover can drive substantial traffic independently of traditional web search rankings. A breaking news article that appears in the Top Stories carousel for a trending query can generate 10x the organic traffic of a standard web search ranking. NewsArticle structured data is the primary technical requirement for this visibility — publishers without correct schema miss eligibility for these high-traffic placements.
How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this
The audit validates NewsArticle structured data: checks all required properties (headline max 110 chars, image ≥1200px width with absolute URL, datePublished in ISO 8601, dateModified, author Person with name, publisher Organization with logo), detects JavaScript rendering gaps (NewsArticle schema must be in the initial HTML response for Google News parsing — not GTM-injected), and checks the Googlebot news user agent access in robots.txt (Googlebot-News must not be blocked).
Useful tools and resources
GLOSSARY
Related terms
structured data
Structured Data
Machine-readable annotations added to HTML — usually JSON-LD — that explicitly describe what a page is about to search engines and AI systems.
Read definition →structured data
JSON-LD
JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data — Google\'s preferred format for adding structured data (Schema.org markup) to web pages via a `<script type="application/ld+json">` block in the HTML head or body, keeping machine-readable data separate from visible content and easier to maintain than Microdata or RDFa.
Read definition →structured data
Rich Results
Enhanced search result formats that Google displays beyond the standard blue link, title, and description — including star ratings, FAQ dropdowns, product panels, recipe cards, How To steps, event dates, and job listings — enabled by valid structured data (JSON-LD schema) in the page\'s server-rendered HTML.
Read definition →onpage
Google Discover
Google\'s personalised content recommendation feed — shown in the Google app and Chrome on mobile — that surfaces articles based on a user\'s search history and interests, without a search query.
Read definition →onpage
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)
Google\'s quality framework for evaluating content — especially important for YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) topics like health, finance, and legal.
Read definition →See how your site scores on SEO for News.
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