Google Discover Update: New Focus on Creators

Google Updates Discover Feed with Follow Options

On Wednesday, Google revealed an update to the Discover page within its primary Search application.

This enhancement enables users to directly follow preferred publishers and creators, resulting in a more personalized content stream.

Expanding Content Control for Users

The recent update builds upon a feature released last month.

This prior release allowed users to curate their preferred news sources and blogs for inclusion in the Top Stories section of search results.

Diversifying Content Types on Discover

In the coming weeks, Google anticipates a broadening of content formats displayed on Discover.

Users can expect to encounter not only articles but also YouTube Shorts, and posts originating from X and Instagram, all sourced from various web-based creators and publishers.

Google intends to continually integrate additional source types into this content mix.

Strategic Goals Behind the Changes

These adjustments reflect Google’s effort to empower users with greater control over their content consumption.

Simultaneously, the company aims to expand the Discover page’s reach by incorporating a more diverse range of sources.

Discover Page Content Criteria Remain Unclear

The specific criteria Google employs to determine which creator content appears on the Discover page are currently undefined.

A request for clarification regarding this matter did not receive a response prior to this publication.

How to Utilize the New Follow Feature

To utilize this new functionality, users can simply tap the name of a publisher or creator when viewing their content.

This action directs them to a dedicated page showcasing all content from that source, with an option to follow them.

Google confirms that following a source will increase the visibility of its content within the Discover feed.

Context: Publisher Traffic and Google's AI Search

These announcements arrive amidst a period of declining traffic for many publishers.

This downturn is largely attributed to the impact of Google’s AI search capabilities.

In response, Google has even introduced Offerwall, a product designed to help publishers generate revenue through channels beyond traditional advertising.