Introduction
You might’ve heard rumors about Google News ranking AI-generated content over original news from established media outlets. Difference of opinions aside, understanding the behavior of Google’s mysterious ranking algorithm can keep you ahead in your SEO game. We’ll break down this complex issue into a simple guide, keeping beginners in mind.
Is Google intentionally Boosting AI-Generated Content?
The answer is NO. Google doesn’t manually push any content up towards the top of search results. The Google algorithm uses certain ranking factors to decide what content should appear first in search results.
5 Reasons Why A News Article Ranks Well In Google Search
Contrary to what’s believed, several factors influence the ranking of a news article. They include:
- Recency: Fresh news articles tend to rank higher in search results. Google’s algorithm places emphasis on the timeliness of the content.
- Domain Age & Backlinks: Older domains with more backlinks are often seen as trustworthy, and Google’s algorithm tends to favor these websites.
- Relevance: If your website’s context around the news article matches with a user’s search query, it is likely to outrank others.
- Crawler Access: If Google’s web crawler has access to the content on your website domain, your content is likely to perform better in search results.
- Topics API: Google’s Topics API (part of the Privacy Sandbox initiative) records topics of interest to the user based on their browsing activity. It may affect similar websites’ placement in Google News.
The Notion of Authorship in Ranking
Google doesn’t treat AI-generated content differently. As long as the content is of high quality, it doesn’t matter who or what produced it. Author bylines are for users, not a ranking factor for Google Search.
4 SEO Tips For Better Ranking in Google News
Regardless of your competition, implementing these practical tips can improve your ranking:
- Troubleshoot Technical Issues: Ensure your website doesn’t have any technical SEO issues that prevent search crawlers from accessing and indexing your content.
- Practice Effective Internal Linking: Link to your own content within your articles, giving context for both readers and search engines.
- Avoid Linking to Competitors: Don’t gift your competition link juice. Link only to sites you want to rank well.
- Seek Inbound Links: If your original research is used elsewhere, ask for a link back to your content.
Summary
Understanding and adapting to the factors Google uses to rank content, including AI-generated content, can help improve your website’s search engine performance. The key is to stay current, relevant, maintain a healthy number and quality of links, ensure full crawler access, and take advantage of Google’s Topics API.
Whether a seasoned SEO veteran or a beginner, everyone stands to reap benefits from understanding these principles. So gear up, apply these tips, and see your website climbing up the Google news ladder!
