The insights on this article are coming directly from a Google patent US20120158711A1: Systems and methods for improving the ranking of news articles

Read until the end of the article where you can find additional support on this topic.

1. Make Sure You’re Eligible

Want to appear in Google’s Top Stories? First, follow Google News content policies and verify your site in Google News Publisher Center.

2. Publish News That Matters

Google loves fresh news. Publish as soon as a story breaks to increase your chances of appearing in Top Stories. Cover trending topics that people are searching for, using tools like Google Trends to identify what’s popular. Well-researched, accurate articles help build trust and credibility with your audience. Keep your writing professional but engaging, and always check for spelling and grammar mistakes to maintain quality.

Data source: Svet Petkov (founder of StoryHawk) - How to track Google Top Stories carousel

3. Use the Right Formatting

Adding structured data like NewsArticle schema helps Google understand your content better, increasing visibility. If you’re covering live events, implementing LiveBlogPosting schema ensures your updates are recognised as real-time coverage.

4. Follow SEO Best Practices

Using relevant keywords in headlines and throughout the article helps Google categorise your content correctly. Additionally, creating attention-grabbing but accurate headlines encourages more clicks and engagement from readers.

5. Make Your Site Fast and Mobile-Friendly

• Mobile Optimisation: Your site must be easy to read on phones and tablets.
• Improve Page Speed: Use Google PageSpeed Insights to check and enhance performance.

6. Keep Readers Engaged

Google measures engagement differently for news:

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): The more people click, the better.
• Returning Visitors: A loyal audience boosts your credibility.
• Time Spent Reading: The longer people stay on your article, the better it ranks.

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7. Build Authority and Trust

• Cite Reliable Sources: Link to trusted news sites.
• Include Expert Insights: Quotes from industry experts add credibility.
• Show Author Info: Add author bios to highlight their expertise.

8. Monitor Your Performance

• Use Google Analytics & Search Console: See how your articles are doing.
• Adjust Based on Data: Improve your strategy based on real insights.
• Track Top Stories Performance: Use tools like StoryHawk to see your rankings.

9. Plan Your Content Wisely

Having an editorial calendar ensures a steady flow of news coverage and prevents gaps in publishing. Diversifying your content with breaking news, in-depth analysis, and multimedia pieces keeps your audience engaged and coming back for more.

10. Get Your News Out There

Promote your articles on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to increase visibility. Sending out email newsletters keeps your audience updated with fresh content. Collaborating with other publishers can expand your reach and attract new readers.

Quick Action Checklist

✔ Verify your site in Google News Publisher Center.

✔ Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and fast.

✔ Publish frequent, high-quality news.

✔ Follow SEO and structured data guidelines.

✔ Track your performance and make improvements with StoryHawk

Follow these steps, and you’ll boost your chances of appearing in Google Top Stories—getting more readers and visibility!

I trained a custom chatGPT model with this patent from Google. If you have some additional question you can ask and learn what you want.

Svet Petkov

Svetoslav (Svet) Petkov is a found of StoryHawk. He has a solid backgrong in SEO optimisation and in the past couple of eash in SEO for news publisher. With his passion of Python and data he is alway interest in providing a valuable data and sotry behind.