Google has added a new section to the Google Discover documentation to explain three reasons why Google Discover traffic may drop. Those three reasons include changes in interests, content type changes and updates to Google Search algorithms.
Google also said, "Traffic from Discover is less predictable or dependable when compared to keyword-driven search visits. Given its serendipitous nature, you should consider traffic from Discover as supplemental to your keyword-driven search traffic."
Here are the three reasons why Google said traffic may change, go up or down, in Google Discover for your site:
- Changing interests: Discover is designed and always improving to show content aligned with what someone is interested in, which in part can be based on their search activity. If someone is no longer as interested in a particular topic—perhaps reflected by a decline in searching for it—their Discover feed might show other content they're more interested in. In turn, this may cause changes in traffic for publishers.
- Content types: Discover has and continues to adjust the types of content that might appear on the feed to better align with what people are looking for. Discover regularly shows content including but not limited to sports, health, entertainment, and lifestyle content from across the open web.
- Updates to Google Search: Periodically, we also make updates to Search designed to better provide people with links to helpful content. Because Discover is an extension of Search, updates can sometimes produce traffic changes. If you notice changes to your website's performance after an update, the following pages may be useful to consider core updates and helpful content updates.
Google also noted, "However, it may be that there's nothing you need to do after an update. Our ongoing work to improve Discover's user experience means sites may see changes in their traffic that are unrelated to the quality or publishing frequency of their content."
Google recently said it is bad if your site depends on Discover traffic. Google also warned against depending on Google Discover traffic.
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