Google News and Discover Readiness Checklist

01Crawlability and article identity

Important articles return HTTP 200 and are not blocked by robots directives or authentication. Every article has one stable canonical URL, a visible headline, publication date, updated date where appropriate, and author. Section, author, archive, and related-story links make articles discoverable without relying only on a sitemap. The XML sitemap contains canonical, indexable URLs; any News sitemap contains only eligible recent articles.

02Article presentation

Titles and headings accurately describe the reporting without misleading or sensational wording. Large, relevant, high-quality images are available and permitted for preview where appropriate. Article structured data accurately matches visible headline, dates, author, images, and publisher information. Mobile pages are readable, stable, fast, and not overwhelmed by intrusive overlays or advertising.

03Trust and editorial transparency

Author pages explain relevant background and link consistently from articles. The site clearly identifies the publisher, ownership, editorial contact details, and correction process. Sponsored, opinion, analysis, and reported news are labelled clearly. Original reporting, sourcing, bylines, updates, and corrections are visible to readers.

04Measurement and iteration

Search Console ownership is verified and sitemap processing, indexing, enhancements, and manual actions are reviewed. Search, News, and Discover performance are evaluated separately when those reports are available. Editors review headline accuracy, image quality, topic depth, internal links, and update practices using real performance data. Traffic spikes are treated as opportunities to build return visits through related coverage, newsletters, apps, or other direct channels.