Google isn't a single machine anymore. It’s more like two different personalities living in the same house. One personality—Search—is a librarian waiting for you to ask a question. The other personality—Google Discover—is that friend who keeps shoving articles under your nose saying, "Hey, I thought you'd like this." If you’re trying to figure out what is it that ranks on Google and appears in Google Discover, you have to realize you’re playing two different games at the same time.
Most people get this wrong.
They think SEO is just keywords. It isn't. Not anymore.
Search is about intent. Discover is about interest. If you want to show up in that highly coveted feed on the mobile app, you can’t just optimize for a robot. You have to optimize for a human who is bored and scrolling. This article is going to break down the mechanics of both systems, using real data from Google’s own documentation and the actual experiences of SEOs who have seen their traffic explode (or crater) overnight.
The Search Side: Why Intent is Your Only Boss
Search is transactional. Whether someone is looking for "how to fix a leaky faucet" or "best CRM for small business," they have a specific goal. Google’s job is to fulfill that goal as fast as possible.
The core of ranking in 2026 is E-E-A-T. Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines make it very clear: they want to see that you actually know what you’re talking about. If you’re writing about medical advice, you better have a doctor’s name on that byline. If you’re writing about how to beat a boss in a video game, you need to show you’ve actually played the game.
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Kinda simple, right?
Well, not really. Because Google also looks at "Information Gain." This is a concept from a Google patent that basically asks: Does this article add anything new to the internet? If you just rewrite the top three results on Page 1, you aren't adding value. You're just echoing. Google doesn't need another echo. It needs a new voice.
Keywords vs. Entities
We used to talk about keyword density. That’s dead. Now, we talk about entities. Think of an entity as a "thing" or "concept" that Google understands. If you’re writing about Paris, Google expects to see entities like "Eiffel Tower," "Louvre," and "Seine." If those aren't there, Google gets suspicious. It’s looking for a map of related ideas that prove you’ve covered the topic thoroughly.
What is it that Ranks on Google and Appears in Google Discover?
Discover is a totally different beast. It’s a "query-less" search.
You don't type anything. You just open the Google app on your iPhone or Android and there it is—a feed of stories tailored specifically to you. It feels like magic, but it’s actually a mix of your search history, location settings, and the topics you follow.
While Search is stable, Discover is volatile.
One day you get 100,000 visitors from Discover; the next day, you get zero. Honestly, it's enough to give any digital marketer a heart attack. To get into Discover, your content needs to be "snackable" but also high-quality. Google’s automated systems pick content for Discover based on its "high level of E-E-A-T." If Search is a library, Discover is a newsstand.
The Power of the Image
In Discover, your headline and your image are the only things that matter for the click. If your image is a boring stock photo of two people shaking hands, you’re doomed. Google explicitly recommends using large, high-quality images that are at least 1,200 pixels wide. They even say that using large images instead of thumbnail icons increases click-through rates by 79%.
Don't use your logo as the featured image. Use something that tells a story.
The Technical Reality Nobody Likes to Admit
You can write the best content in the world, but if your site takes five seconds to load on a 4G connection, you won't rank. Period. Google’s Core Web Vitals are a set of metrics that measure real-world user experience.
- LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): How fast does the main stuff load?
- INP (Interaction to Next Paint): How responsive is the page when you click something?
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Does the page jump around while it's loading?
If your site fails these, you’re fighting with one hand tied behind your back. Google wants to send users to sites that don't frustrate them. It’s about the "page experience." This is especially true for Discover, which is almost exclusively a mobile experience. If your mobile site is clunky, you're invisible.
Why Content Freshness is a Double-Edged Sword
Google loves fresh content for Discover, but it loves "evergreen" content for Search. This is where the tension lies.
For Discover, you often need to tap into "the now." Trending topics, news cycles, or new angles on old stories perform incredibly well. But for traditional search rankings, you want content that stays relevant for years. The sweet spot is creating content that is "timely yet timeless."
Take a look at how big publishers like The Verge or New York Magazine do it. They’ll take a trending topic—say, a new AI regulation—and turn it into a deep-dive piece that explains the history of tech laws. The trend gets them into Discover. The depth keeps them ranking in Search for the next twelve months.
The Role of User Signals
Google says they don't use clicks as a direct ranking factor in the way we think, but many SEO experts like Rand Fishkin or the team at SparkToro have long argued that user behavior matters. If everyone clicks your result and immediately hits the "back" button, that’s a signal. It tells Google your page didn't answer the question.
In Discover, this is even more extreme. If users constantly "hide" your stories or report them as clickbait, Google will stop showing your site in their feed. You have to earn your stay. Every. Single. Time.
Misconceptions About What is it That Ranks
A lot of people think long-form content is a magic bullet. "Just write 3,000 words and you'll rank!"
Wrong.
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Sometimes the best answer is a 200-word paragraph and a table. If I search for "what time is the Super Bowl," I don't want a 2,000-word essay on the history of American football. I want the time. Google's "Helpful Content System" is designed to reward content that provides a satisfying experience. Length is not a proxy for quality.
Another myth: Meta descriptions help you rank. They don't. At least, not directly. Google often rewrites your meta description anyway. However, a good meta description does improve your click-through rate (CTR), and a better CTR means more traffic, which gives Google more data about how users interact with your site. It’s an indirect win.
Actionable Steps to Rule Both Worlds
If you want to master what is it that ranks on Google and appears in Google Discover, stop looking for shortcuts. There are no "hacks" left that work for long. Instead, follow this blueprint:
1. Audit your E-E-A-T. Who is writing your content? Do they have a bio? Is that bio linked to their social profiles or other reputable sites? If you're an anonymous blog, you’re going to struggle. Make sure your "About Us" page actually explains why you are an authority in your niche.
2. Optimize for the "First Scroll." In Discover, users decide to click in less than a second. In Search, they decide to stay in about three seconds. Your headline needs to be compelling without being clickbait. Your first paragraph should get straight to the point. No "In the fast-paced world of today..." fluff. Just the facts.
3. Use High-Resolution Original Imagery. Stop using the same Unsplash photos as everyone else. Take your own photos. Create your own charts. Google's Vision AI can actually "see" what's in your images. If your image perfectly matches the topic, you're much more likely to land in the Discover feed.
4. Focus on Topical Authority. Don't write about everything. Pick a niche and own it. If you write about vegan recipes, don't suddenly post about crypto. Google builds a profile of your site. It needs to know exactly what you are an expert in so it can confidently recommend you to users.
5. Fix Your Technical Debt. Check your Search Console. Look at the "Core Web Vitals" report. If you see red bars, fix them. Often, this just means compressing your images or removing some bloated JavaScript. It’s the "boring" work that makes the "creative" work possible.
6. Watch Your Data. Go into Google Search Console and filter by "Discover." Look at which pages are performing. See a pattern? Maybe your "opinion" pieces do well in Discover while your "how-to" guides do well in Search. Use that data to decide what to write next.
Success in modern SEO isn't about outsmarting the algorithm. It's about being so consistently useful that the algorithm has no choice but to show you to people. Search is for answers. Discover is for inspiration. Master both, and you own the internet.