How to Add Your Website to Google News and Drive Traffic: A Step-by-Step Guide
Meta description: Want to get thousands of free visits from Google News? Learn how to add your site to Google News, meet the requirements, and start attracting targeted traffic.
Why Google News Is a Powerful Traffic Source
Google News is a news content aggregator that sends over 6 billion monthly visits to publisher websites. It’s a goldmine of traffic for:
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Bloggers
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Media startups
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Digital marketers
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Niche site owners
And most importantly: you don’t need to be a professional journalist to get featured there.
How to Get Into Google News: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare Your Website for Submission
To be included in Google News, your site must:
✅ Regularly publish fresh, relevant content
✅ Have author pages with bios and contact info
✅ Have clean HTML structure and fast loading speed
✅ Contain original texts, no copy-pasting
✅ Include a sitemap in Google News XML format
Step 2: Set Up a Google News Sitemap
If your site runs on WordPress, use one of these plugins:
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Google News Sitemap by BestWebSoft
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XML Sitemap & Google News by RavanH
After installation, you’ll get a sitemap URL, for example:
https://yourwebsite.com/news-sitemap.xml
Add it in Google Search Console under:
Indexing → Sitemaps
Step 3: Follow Google’s Standards
Google places a lot of emphasis on journalistic style. Make sure you:
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Write in active voice
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Use keywords in headlines
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Avoid clickbait and repetition
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Update your site daily (2+ articles)
Step 4: Publish Real News, Not Just Evergreen Content
Google News does NOT accept:
🚫 Instructions and how-to guides
🚫 Advice columns
🚫 Job announcements
🚫 Weather forecasts or currency rates
Publish fresh events, opinions, market reviews, and responses to trending topics.
Step 5: Increase Your Site’s Authority
Google trusts only authoritative sources. To build trust:
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Get mentioned in other media outlets (Forbes, VC, RBC, etc.)
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Earn natural backlinks
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Publish articles by verified authors
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Stay active on social media
How to Submit an Application in Google News Publisher Center
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Go to Google Publisher Center
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Sign in with your Google account
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Add your website and specify RSS/feed/sitemap
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Verify ownership in Google Search Console
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Pass moderation
Review usually takes 2 to 4 weeks.
5 Tips for Stable Traffic from Google News
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Publish 2–5 news articles daily
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Work on headlines — active voice, keywords
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Monitor site speed and mobile optimization
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Develop your author team
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Analyze CTR and engagement through Google Search Console
Conclusion
Adding your site to Google News is not a quick fix but a powerful way to attract quality traffic. If you regularly publish useful, relevant content and follow the platform’s rules, your chances of success are high.
📌 Start with setting up the sitemap and author structure — and you’ll be halfway there.
If you want, I can help polish it further or adjust it for a specific audience!
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