TL;DR: News SEO ב-2026 = combat of Google News eligibility + AI Overviews taking zero-click traffic + HCU impacting less-editorial sites. Survival: authority, speed, structured data, diverse revenue.
Google News Inclusion
Not automatic. Apply via Publisher Center:
- Transparent ownership.
- Editorial process clear.
- Original content, not aggregation.
- Quality standards.
Key Technical Requirements
Speed
News site MUST be fast. LCP < 2s. Real-time publishing demand.
Article Schema
NewsArticle type. Include: headline, author, datePublished, dateModified, image.
AMP (optional in 2026)
AMP still works but less required. Standard HTML with good speed fine.
Editorial Standards
- Named authors with bios.
- Editorial board visible.
- Corrections policy.
- Fact-checking process.
AI Overviews Impact
News especially hit hard. Stats show 40% loss in clicks for informational news queries. Response:
- Unique angles.
- Investigative journalism.
- Multimedia (video, podcasts).
- Subscriptions (not reliant only on ads).
Content Velocity
News sites publish 10-50 articles/day. Quality must scale. AI assistance, editorial oversight.
Google Discover
Visual-led content in mobile feed. Big traffic source. Requires large images, compelling headlines.