An SEO glossary of terms every marketer should know in 2026
A practical, current glossary covering the essential SEO terminology every marketer should be comfortable with, from foundational concepts to 2026-specific terms.
6 min read
Google Discover is a personalised content feed appearing in the Google app and mobile browser, surfacing content based on a user's interests and past behaviour rather than a specific search query — making it a genuinely distinct traffic source many sites overlook entirely in their SEO strategy.
How Discover differs from traditional search
There is no query to optimise for in Discover — content is surfaced based on inferred user interest, making topical relevance to trending or personally relevant subjects, combined with strong content quality signals, more important than exact keyword matching.
- No specific search query triggers Discover placement.
- Content is matched to inferred user interest and behaviour patterns.
- Timeliness and topical relevance to current interest often matter more than for typical evergreen SEO content.
Technical and quality requirements
Google requires large images (at least 1200 pixels wide, with the max-image-preview:large meta tag set) for full-size image display in Discover, and generally applies the same E-E-A-T quality standards used elsewhere, with a particular sensitivity to clickbait or exaggerated content.
Discover eligibility is mostly free — it is largely the same quality content you should be producing anyway, plus one specific, easy-to-miss image size requirement.
Practical steps to improve Discover eligibility
- Use large, high-quality images (minimum 1200px wide) with the max-image-preview:large meta tag enabled.
- Avoid clickbait, exaggerated or misleading headlines, which Discover's quality systems specifically penalise.
- Publish genuinely timely, interest-driven content alongside evergreen material where relevant.
- Ensure E-E-A-T signals (authorship, accuracy, trustworthiness) are strong, since Discover applies similar quality standards to regular search.
Measuring Discover performance
Search Console includes a dedicated Discover performance report for sites that receive meaningful traffic from it, showing impressions and clicks separately from regular search performance data.
Frequently asked questions
Can I directly submit content to Google Discover?
No, there is no submission mechanism — eligibility and surfacing are entirely algorithmic, based on content quality, technical requirements and inferred user interest matching.
Does every site get some Discover traffic?
No, some sites receive substantial Discover traffic while others receive essentially none, often correlating with content type — Discover tends to favour timely, visually strong, broadly interesting content over narrow technical or transactional pages.
Is Discover traffic as valuable as search traffic?
It can drive meaningful volume and brand exposure, though intent and conversion behaviour often differs from search traffic, since Discover visitors were not actively searching for anything specific.
If you want help optimising your content for Google Discover eligibility, talk to our team.
The takeaway
Use large, high-quality images (at least 1200px wide) on every article — Discover heavily favours visually strong content, and this single technical requirement is the most common reason otherwise-eligible content misses out.
Written by Fibvo — Bengaluru and Erode, India — working with clients in other time zones. Questions, or think we have it wrong? Tell us.
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