One of the more traditional ways of getting attention is to get your business in the news. This tradition continues strongly on the net, with businesses routinely distributing press releases and their methods even more vigorous than in the old days. One of the places to be seen is on the pages of Google News.

The news section of Google was introduced in beta in 2001 and in full version in 2006, but all that time hasn’t made getting on its pages any easier. There are certain restrictions you need to be able to work around. Optimisation for Google News is also slightly different from regular SEO methods, and you can talk to us at SEO Consult about optimisation. This adds up to a fair amount of work when you have Google News in your sights.

The restrictions

The biggest restriction for getting on Google News is that it’s not as open as regular Google search. In the interests of providing genuine news stories, the site searches only approved news sources. Needless to say, getting your site recognised as a news source is well-nigh impossible if you’re the average business. Some sites have managed, with time, patience and a real dedication to news in their industry, to achieve this aim. Unless you have a genuine interest in your industry’s news, it’s just not worth it.

Another restriction comes in on the second level. Once you manage to get your article on one of the news sites that Google does search for News, you need to ensure it’s the kind of article that will appeal to Google. This means that a special kind of optimisation for Google News needs to be performed, adding another layer of work for you and your SEO company.

Optimisation considerations

Optimisation for Google News has some similarities to search engine optimisation. Keywords are still important, although you need to look at the keywords that will appeal for this specific kind of search. Some differences include:

Sources: It is thought that having your news piece appear in several places makes it more attractive to Google. This makes sense, as it shows that your article is newsworthy, but it is a shift in thinking when you’re used to SEO.

Location: A representative from Google News has said that location matters with Google News, but hinted that the usual tricks for location won’t work. Simply putting location keywords into your title and tags isn’t enough. Location needs to be mentioned throughout the story.

Other things to note

Real time is a major consideration for Google News. The pages update continuously and all of the flaws usually seen with Google’s real time efforts are decidedly absent in Google News. As a consequence, you need to consider not just the amount of time your piece is likely to stay on its pages, but when you want it to appear. Posting something in the morning is a good idea, but it may take a little experimentation before you get the timing just right.

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