Google Discover expands to desktop, creating new opportunities for publishers

During the Search Central Live event in Madrid today, Google announced that its Discover feed will soon be available on desktop. The announcement represents a significant shift in Google's content discovery strategy and could substantially impact traffic patterns for publishers.

Eric Barbera from Google's News Product Planning team demonstrated the new feature at the event. According to Clara Soteras Acosta, who attended the conference and shared details on LinkedIn, this development "will change the real-time and content strategy of publishers." The expansion to desktop marks a notable evolution for Discover, which has previously been available exclusively on mobile devices.

For news publishers, Google Discover currently serves as "the most important traffic channel for a news media website," according to Soteras Acosta. The significance of this expansion is underscored by data shared by John Shehata, CEO and founder of NewzDash, who noted that "Google Discover is already the #1 traffic source for most news publishers, sometimes accounting for up to 60% of their total Google traffic."

The extension to desktop could generate an estimated 10-15% additional Discover traffic for publishers, based on current traffic splits where approximately 90% comes from mobile and 10% from desktop, according to Shehata's analysis.

Lily Ray, Vice President of SEO Strategy & Research, expressed enthusiasm about the announcement, stating she had "been waiting for this for a long time." Ray noted that "many publishers are now seeing the majority of their Google organic traffic come from Discover," highlighting the increasing importance of this channel in publishers' traffic acquisition strategies.

For SEO practitioners and content strategists, the desktop launch of Discover raises important questions about optimization approaches. Mohammad Fakhruddin, a Digital Marketing Specialist, posed the question of whether "this will change how content is optimized for Discover" – a consideration many publishers will need to address in their content strategies.

Marcos Moreno, SEO Manager at Fever, who also attended the Madrid event, shared insights about how Google determines content for both Search and Discover. According to Moreno, "Google highlighted 7 key ranking factors: relevance, location, authority, freshness, usability, user interests, and prominence." He emphasized that "structured data is crucial" for successful performance in both Search and Discover.

This emphasis on structured data aligns with other information shared at the event, including the importance of sticking to user-focused content development. Moreno quoted Google representatives stating, "What worked in the past may not work in the future," suggesting that staying focused on user needs remains the most reliable strategy for visibility.

Publisher perspectives

The reception among publishers and SEO professionals has been largely positive, though some express mixed sentiments about increasing dependence on Google as a traffic source.

Gabriela Fuentes, a Senior SEO Manager and Content Strategist, commented that this development "could help publishers regain some of the traffic they've lost from Search," while also noting the risk of "continuing to depend on Google as a referral source."

This sentiment was echoed by Greg Boser, a Fractional SEO & Digital Marketing Consultant, who expressed a more critical view: "It's amazing to me how excited we get when we think we see an opportunity to possibly regain a small sliver of all the traffic that has vaporized over the last few years."

Other professionals pointed to potential drawbacks of the system. Natzir T., a Strategic & Technical SEO Consultant and Data Scientist, referenced concerns about Google's priorities, quoting what he described as an ex-Google employee's view that "giving traffic to publisher sites is kind of a necessary evil. The main thing they're trying to do is get people to consume Google services."

Gareth Boyd, who works in Growth at Credit Card Compare, was more blunt in his assessment, describing the development simply as "Spam to your desktop!"

Technical requirements remain consistent

During the Search Central Live event in Madrid, Google representatives did not outline any special optimization requirements for desktop Discover versus the mobile version.

For content creators, this means the existing best practices for Discover optimization likely remain applicable. These include creating high-quality original content, using compelling images, crafting engaging headlines, and ensuring mobile friendliness – though the latter may be less critical for desktop Discover content.

The discussions at the event also touched on Google's approach to AI-generated content. Marcos Moreno shared that Google representatives warned that "if most of a page is autogenerated, it will be scored as lowest quality." Aleyda Solís, an International SEO Consultant, further elaborated on this point, noting that "Google is now asking quality raters to assess if the main content of a page is auto or AI generated," particularly content created "with little to no effort, originality, or added value for visitors."

Implications for marketing professionals

For marketing professionals, the introduction of Discover on desktop represents both an opportunity and a challenge. The expanded surface area may drive additional traffic to well-optimized content, but it also intensifies competition for visibility in this increasingly important channel.

The development comes at a time when publishers are navigating complex changes in their traffic acquisition strategies. As traditional search traffic patterns evolve and social media platforms adjust their algorithms, Google Discover has emerged as a vital component of many publishers' traffic mix.

The desktop expansion may require marketing teams to:

1. Review their content optimization strategies specifically for Discover
2. Analyze the performance metrics of current Discover traffic to identify successful patterns
3. Consider how desktop users might interact differently with Discover content compared to mobile users
4. Evaluate the impact of images and headlines in the desktop context
5. Integrate Discover performance into broader content analytics frameworks

The introduction of Discover to desktop is part of Google's ongoing efforts to "expand Discover on more surfaces," according to the announcement. This suggests that Discover may continue to evolve and potentially appear in additional contexts beyond the current mobile app and upcoming desktop implementation.

For publishers, adapting to this change will require careful monitoring of traffic patterns once the feature launches more broadly. The initial rollout timing has not been specifically announced, though it appears to be in active development based on the demonstration at the Madrid event.

As Chad DeBolt, who works with Behavioral Health Organizations, noted somewhat humorously, this means that users will now be able to "procrastinate on desktop too!" – but for publishers, it represents a serious opportunity to engage audiences across devices with their content.

Timeline

• Late 2016: Google introduces "feed" in the Google app, showing personalized content
• September 2018: Google rebrands the feed as "Discover" and enhances personalization features
• October 2018: Discover begins appearing on the Google homepage on mobile devices
• 2020-2023: Discover becomes increasingly important as a traffic source for publishers
• April 9, 2025: Google announces at Search Central Live Madrid that Discover will be coming to desktop
• Present (April 2025): Desktop version in development, release date pending