Discover content policies

To help ensure Google Discover is a helpful experience for everyone, to be eligible, content should follow best practices for Discover and must not violate Google Search’s overall policies, Google Search’s spam policies, or these policies for Search features:

• Dangerous content
• Deceptive practices
• Harassing content
• Hateful content
• Manipulated media
• Medical content
• Sexually explicit content
• Violent extremist content
• Violent & gory content
• Vulgar language & profanity

Discover also has these feature-specific policies:

Ads & sponsored content

Advertising and other paid promotional material on your pages should not exceed your content. We do not allow content that conceals or misrepresents sponsored content as independent, editorial content. Sponsorship, including, but not limited to, ownership or affiliate interest, payment, or material support, should be clearly disclosed to readers. The subject of sponsored content should not focus on the sponsor without clear disclosure.

Note: Publishers should be aware of the new site reputation abuse policy that becomes effective as of May 5, 2024. Learn more here.

Misleading content

We don't allow preview content that misleads users to engage with it by promising details which aren't reflected in the underlying content.

Transparency

Visitors to your site want to trust and understand who writes and publishes the content they read. That's why news sources on Google should provide:

• Clear dates and bylines
• Information about the authors, publication, and publisher
• Information about the company or network behind the content
• Contact information

When we find content or behavior that violates these policies, we may remove the content from Discover. In cases of repeated or egregious violations, a site may no longer be eligible for Discover or Discover surfaces such as “Articles for you” in Google Chrome. 

We may make exceptions to these policies based on artistic, educational, historical, documentary, or scientific considerations, or where there are other substantial benefits to the public.

Discover manual actions in Search Console

If your site violates one or more Discover content policies, Discover manual actions may appear in your Search Console under Security & Manual actions. Learn more about the types of violations and how to fix them.

Following websites

If users choose to follow your website, your content will appear in the “Following” feed unless it violates Google Search’s overall policies or any of these policies for Search features: Dangerous content, Harassing content, Hateful content, Manipulated media, Medical content, Sexually explicit content, Terrorist content, Violence & gore, or Vulgar language & profanity.