Google News surfaces content automatically from the normal web crawl; publishers do not need to apply for inclusion, only to follow Google's overall and news-specific content policies. Publisher Center is a separate management tool for monetization and Showcase settings, not a content publishing system.
Google automatically considers all web content for inclusion in Google News, so publishers don't need to apply, according to Google's own help documentation. Eligibility instead depends on meeting overall Google Search requirements, Google's spam policies, and specific Google News content policies, which cover things like disclosing sponsored content clearly, keeping advertising from exceeding editorial content, and being transparent about who publishes and authors the content, including clear dates and bylines.
Publisher Center itself is not a content management system or an authoring tool; it helps publishers configure monetization features such as Reader Revenue Manager and manage settings for Google News Showcase, an enhanced storytelling feature for participating publishers. News content can appear in several places across Google, including ordinary web search, a 'Top stories' feature, and a dedicated News tab, generally discovered through Google's normal web crawl rather than a manual submission process.
Technical basics still matter for a press page's news content to be crawled and understood well: unique, permanent URLs for each article, avoiding JavaScript-only links and images in place of text links, keeping full article text in readable HTML, and encoding pages consistently, all covered under Google's technical guidelines for news content.
How to: 1) Do not treat Publisher Center as a requirement to appear in Google News; focus first on content quality and policy compliance. 2) Give every release its own permanent, unique URL. 3) Keep headlines and publication times clearly identifiable in HTML, not hidden in scripts or images. 4) Disclose sponsorships and bylines clearly. 5) Use Publisher Center for monetization and Showcase settings if relevant, separately from basic news eligibility.
QUESTIONS
Do I need to apply to get my press releases into Google News?
No. Google automatically considers web content for inclusion in Google News; publishers do not need to apply, but content must comply with Google's overall Search requirements and specific News content policies.
What is Google Publisher Center used for?
It helps publishers configure monetization tools, such as Reader Revenue Manager, and manage Google News Showcase settings. It is not a content authoring or publishing tool, and it is not required simply to appear in Google News.
What does Google's News content policy require?
Among other things, it requires that sponsored content be clearly disclosed and not disguised as independent editorial material, that advertising not exceed editorial content, and that sources provide clear dates, bylines and contact information.
What technical basics help a press page appear in Google News?
Unique, permanent URLs per article, article text in readable HTML rather than JavaScript or images, clearly identifiable headlines and publication times, and consistent UTF-8 encoding, per Google's technical guidelines for news publishers.
SOURCES
Last reviewed