How to add a site to Google News?

Google News is an online platform that aggregates news from around the world. Google’s algorithms analyze and categorize articles from various sources, then organize them into news lists.

The Google News channel operates as a separate section of the search engine, with articles presented based on interests, language, and location, and sorted into thematic groups.

Google News is a site dedicated to news, primarily publishing informational content about specific events. Announcements, how-to guides, or product reviews do not qualify here.

How to add a website to the Google News channel?

The Google algorithm automatically adds trusted websites to Google News. If you regularly publish interesting content and your site has a high rating, it may already be included in Google News. You can check this by entering the operator “Site:” followed by your website’s name in the search engine. Then go to the “News” tab — if the list is empty, your site requires manual configuration.

Adding your website to Google News will only take a few minutes.

1. Open the new Google News Publisher Center and select the “Add publication” option.
2. Name your publication and save it with the “Save” button.
3. Fill in the details — name, description, category, and publication language. Verify the URL and provide location and tracking code. If you already have a Google Search Console account, you can use it to verify your site by selecting the “Verify in search console” option.
4. Once all information is completed, your text is ready for publication. Use the “Publish” command.

Although the setup takes little time, you will still need to wait for the verification process to complete. This usually takes between 2 and 4 weeks.

Requirements for content publishers

Articles you decide to publish on Google News should be unique and reliable, written with correct spelling and punctuation. Each article should include the author’s signature and contact details in the footer. Google News prohibits publishing confidential information—such as medical records—as well as sexual content, content promoting violence, hatred or discrimination, and content encouraging illegal or dangerous acts. Additionally, published articles must not infringe copyright. Furthermore, Google does not allow sponsored content that is not clearly marked as such. Ensure you prepare unique content and an engaging headline containing keywords — this will help you stand out and increase your reach.

The main idea of Google News is to efficiently deliver trustworthy information to readers worldwide. Therefore, a key technical requirement is the ease of scanning and indexing your website by Google’s bots. An AMP version of the site is not mandatory but can help pages load faster. URLs should be static — published content should be available at a single address. The article’s content must be visible in the source code as one cohesive block, without additional elements. Also, pay attention to the meta robots tag — you must not block Google bots from accessing content intended for Google News.

Google News operates in 127 countries and records nearly half a billion monthly page views. Joining Google News can help you attract new readers and increase traffic to your site. If you choose this form of promotion for your website, develop a detailed strategy that includes upcoming changes — such as voice search and audio content in the form of podcasts.