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CyberLab.Team

Google News

Get Your News Site Into Google News

A Google News and Discover audit is a fixed-scope review of your news site against Google's documented News, Top Stories and Discover criteria, done for publishers so you can see exactly which technical and editorial signals are keeping you out of the feed. One-time diagnosis, a written report and a prioritized fix list your team can execute, no retainer required.

Independent advisor · Fixed price · No revenue share · No traffic minimums · Any size publisher
Request Free Audit See Pricing

Packages

Start €900 Professional €1,200 Expert €1,550
See details →
90+
news sites audited
2015
working since
Rare
specialized expertise

What we solve

Content quality analysis
We evaluate your content against Google News requirements: quality, uniqueness, editorial standards, topic relevance.
Technical SEO for Google News
Site speed, mobile optimization, structured data for news articles, legacy-AMP assessment (AMP is no longer required for Top Stories since June 2021), and XML news sitemaps.
Traffic drop analysis
We identify root causes of Google News traffic loss and provide a clear recovery roadmap.
Post-audit consultations
We support clients after the audit — explaining recommendations and guiding implementation.

Audit Process

1
Comprehensive diagnostics
Full assessment of the current state of the site against Google News requirements.
2
Recommendations
Detailed list of what to fix or implement for maximum visibility in Google News.
3
Post-audit support
Consultation and guidance after audit delivery to ensure correct implementation.

The audit is a one-time, fixed-scope diagnosis. Whether it pays for itself, and how quickly, depends on your traffic, monetization and how much of the fix list you act on, so we do not promise a return.

If we don't find 10 actionable issues — full refund

What you get

Everything is delivered as documents you keep, whether or not you hire us to implement afterwards.

A written report

The full report is typically 40 to 70 pages, with a prioritized fix list split for your editorial team and your developers so each side knows exactly what to do first.

A redacted sample first

A redacted 20-page PDF from a past News audit (site name removed, traffic graphs blurred) is available before you pay, so you can judge the depth for yourself.

A walkthrough call

A post-audit call to walk your team through the priorities, with both editors and developers welcome. No obligation to hire us for the implementation.

Recognize yourself?

These are real problems our clients come to us with. If at least one sounds familiar — we can help.

Your site doesn't appear in Google Discover — but competitors get thousands of visitors
Google Discover is a personalized recommendation feed on mobile devices. It shows content without a search query, based on user interests. Without the right technical and content signals, your site never enters the feed at all.
Google News traffic dropped or disappeared completely
Google periodically changes requirements for news sites. One violation — and your site drops from the News index. We find the cause and restore visibility.
Articles are indexed with delays — you lose the first-mover advantage
In news, speed is everything. If your content is indexed in hours instead of minutes, competitors capture the bulk of the early-spike traffic. The cause is usually in technical site settings (XML News Sitemap, IndexNow, server response times).
You create quality content but Google ignores it
Content quality is necessary but not sufficient. Google evaluates dozens of technical and content signals: structured data, image quality, mobile-first, E-E-A-T. Without the right technical foundation, even the best content won't reach Discover.
You don't understand how Discover optimization differs from regular SEO
Regular SEO = keywords and search queries. Discover = audience interests and trends. These are fundamentally different algorithms. A strategy that works for search may be useless for Discover.
Ad revenue is dropping because traffic is dropping
For news sites and portals, traffic = money (CPM, subscriptions, sponsored articles). Loss of visibility in Google News and Discover is a direct revenue loss.
Your site was de-indexed from Google News
Serious but usually solvable. We've restored visibility for dozens of portals; the audit identifies which signals triggered the de-indexing and which fixes carry the most weight in a Publisher Center reconsideration.
You launched a news site but don't know how to get into Google News
Registration in Google News Publisher Center is only the first step. You need proper technical structure, XML News Sitemap, data markup, and an editorial strategy.

Audit Pricing

Preliminary audit — free. Individual approach for each site.

Start
€900
  • Technical SEO audit
  • On-page optimization check
  • Web analytics audit
  • Consultations included
Order
Most Popular
Professional
€1,200
  • Google News feed check
  • Search audit
  • Traffic drop root cause analysis
  • Commercial factors audit
  • Web analytics audit
  • Consultations included
Order
Expert
€1,550
  • Google News feed check
  • Technical SEO audit
  • Traffic drop root cause analysis
  • Search audit
  • Backlink profile audit
  • Web analytics audit
  • Consultations included
Order

The Start audit is €900 and covers technical SEO, on-page and analytics. Professional (€1,200) adds the Google News feed check, search audit, traffic-drop root cause and commercial factors. Expert (€1,550) is the full scope, including the backlink profile audit. Every tier is a one-time fee with no retainer.

Want to see the depth before you pay?

Ask for the redacted 20-page sample report from a past News audit, and we'll send it over with no obligation.

Request the sample

What exactly we check

A site-level, human-reviewed checklist against Google's public News and Discover documentation. No per-check outcome claims, just an honest read of where you stand.

Sitemaps and Publisher Center
News-sitemap freshness and correct Google News Publisher Center configuration for your titles and sections.
Structured data and transparency
NewsArticle and Article structured data, visible bylines and dates, and publisher transparency pages such as About, Contact and editorial-policy information.
Image eligibility
Whether your images meet the 1200px-plus size guidance and carry the max-image-preview:large directive that Google's documentation asks for.
Ads, interstitials and paywalls
Ad density, intrusive interstitials and paywall handling read against Google's public news and Discover guidance, including flexible sampling for subscriptions.

One-time audit, not a retainer

Most specialist news-SEO providers sell an ongoing monthly retainer. We sell a fixed-scope diagnosis you pay for once. The report is written so your own editorial and dev teams can implement it, and any ongoing help afterwards is a separate, optional conversation. There is no lock-in.

Free automated Discover and News checkers are a genuinely good first step. They check technical flags on single URLs, and they state themselves that they cannot judge headline quality, E-E-A-T or editorial signals. Run one first if you like, then bring the result to us: it is a fine input to a full, site-level audit. This page owns the wider news stack, Top Stories, the News tab and editorial architecture. If you specifically want feed eligibility, see our Google Discover audit.

How the options compare

One-time audit vs monthly retainer vs a free checker

A plain look at how a fixed-scope audit differs from an ongoing retainer and from a free automated tool. No names, no numbers, just the shape of each option.

CyberLab auditRetainer agencyFree checker
Pricing modelOne-time fixed feeOngoing monthlyFree
ScopeFull site, News + DiscoverVaries by contractSingle URL, technical flags
Human editorial reviewYesUsuallyNo, tool-only
LanguagesEN / PL / UK / RUOften EN onlyTool-dependent
Traffic minimumsNoneOften large publishers onlyNone
Lock-inNoneContract termNone

Qualitative comparison of engagement types, not specific providers.

Who does the audit

Audits are led by Petro Deruha, Founder and Digital Strategist and a participant in the Google Product Experts program (author profile). We are a Google Partner agency that has worked with publishers since 2015, and the person who audits your site is the person on your results call.

We audit news sites in four languages. Content-quality and E-E-A-T review is done natively in English, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian, not through machine translation, which matters for Polish portals, Ukrainian media and Russian-language diaspora publishers in the EU.

CyberLab.Team OÜ is an EU-registered company. We handle Search Console and Analytics access in a GDPR-compliant way, and a DPA is available on request.

Process

How It Works

01

Free Consultation

We analyze your current situation — 24 hours, no cost.

02

Detailed Audit

Full report delivered in 5–10 business days with prioritized fixes.

03

Video Walkthrough

We explain every finding and answer your questions live.

04

Roadmap

Clear, prioritized action plan with timeline and expected results.

What does this look like in practice?

A regional news portal came to us after its Google News and Discover traffic fell away over a few weeks, with no clear reason on their side. We started by reading the situation against Google's documented criteria rather than guessing: we checked the news sitemap and Publisher Center setup, the NewsArticle markup, the state of bylines and transparency pages, and how images and ad density were configured on article templates.

The audit surfaced a mix of issues: stale sitemap entries, structured data that had drifted after a template change, and article images below the size Google asks for. We handed over a prioritized fix list, separated so the developers knew what to ship and the editors knew what to change in how articles were published. Their own team implemented it. Over the following weeks, impressions in the Discover report began to recover.

Anonymized example of our process, not a promise of results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Google Discover and how is it different from regular search? +
Google Discover is a personalized recommendation feed on mobile devices. Unlike search where users enter queries, Discover automatically selects content based on user interests. The algorithm is different: what matters is not keywords but the site's topical authority, image quality (1200px+), engagement signals and freshness. We've been auditing publishers for the feed since Google renamed it Discover in 2018 (it grew out of the Google Feed introduced in 2017).
How is this different from your Google Discover audit? +
This News audit owns the full news stack: Top Stories, the News tab, Publisher Center setup, editorial architecture, bylines and news structured data. The separate Google Discover audit (at /services/google-discover/) focuses specifically on eligibility for the Discover feed. There is real overlap, since both rely on strong technical and content signals, so many publishers order the News audit for the wider scope and treat Discover as one part of it.
Who needs a Google Discover / Google News audit? +
Owners of news sites, online media, portals, and blogs with large amounts of content. If you publish articles regularly and want traffic from Google's recommendation feed — the audit will show exactly what's blocking you. This is also relevant for e-commerce sites with blogs and content marketing projects.
What's included in the audit? +
A complete check of technical readiness for Google News and Discover: compliance with Google News guidelines, indexing speed, XML News Sitemap, structured data (Article/NewsArticle), image quality (1200+ px, WebP), mobile optimization, E-E-A-T signals, traffic analysis and identification of decline causes. The output is a detailed report with specific recommendations and priorities.
How much does the audit cost? +
Google Discover / Google News audit starts from €900. Price depends on site size and content volume. Whether the audit pays for itself, and how fast, depends on your traffic, monetization and how much of the fix list you implement, so we do not promise a specific return. We've audited 90+ news sites since 2015, and Discover and News are core verticals for us, not a side practice.
How quickly will I see results? +
First improvements are visible within 2–4 weeks after implementing recommendations: growth in impressions in Google Search Console (Discover section). Full effect — 1–3 months. For de-indexed sites, recovery may take 1–2 months depending on the severity of the issue.
Why isn't my content appearing in Google Discover? +
Most common reasons: low-resolution images (need 1200+ pixels), missing max-image-preview:large meta tag, too slow mobile version, clickbait headlines (Google penalizes them), missing structured data. Our audit checks all these factors and provides a specific fix plan.
Can you help with Google News de-indexation? +
Yes, this is one of our key case types. We've restored visibility for dozens of portals. Process: audit of de-indexation causes, fixing violations, preparing an appeal, monitoring recovery. As Google Partners and participants in the Google Product Experts program, we have faster routing and escalation paths, not insider access or guaranteed outcomes.
How are you different from a regular SEO agency? +
Google Discover and Google News auditing is our niche specialization since 2015. Most SEO agencies work with regular search and don't understand Discover specifics (interest-based algorithm, not keyword-based) and Google News requirements (publisher requirements, real-time indexing). We have Google certifications and Top Contributors/Product Experts status.
Do I need a separate SEO audit in addition to Discover/News? +
It depends. Discover and News work on top of basic SEO — if your site has serious technical issues (speed, mobile, indexing), those need to be resolved first. We check basic technical SEO as part of the Discover/News audit and recommend a full SEO audit if it's critical.
How is success measured? +
Key metrics: impressions and clicks in Google Search Console → Discover section; number of articles in Google News results; indexing speed for new content; organic traffic dynamics. We set up custom dashboards and outline scenario plans for the quarter, half-year and year, without committing to specific traffic numbers.
What do you need from me to get started? +
Access to Google Search Console and Google Analytics. If available — access to Google News Publisher Center. That's it. We'll conduct the audit, prepare the report, and discuss results on a video call. Implementation can be done by your team or our specialists.
Can I see a sample News audit report before paying? +
Yes. We send a redacted 20-page PDF sample from a past News/publisher audit (site name removed, traffic graphs blurred) so you can evaluate depth, the specificity of News Publisher Center recommendations, and E-E-A-T analysis before committing. The full report is typically 40–70 pages plus a prioritized fix list your editorial and dev team can execute.
What is NOT included in the News audit? +
We do not write articles, hire journalists, or source photography — those are separate engagements. We also do not cover AdSense or Ad Manager optimization inside the News audit price; that's our Publisher Monetization service. The News audit is diagnosis plus a roadmap for News/Discover visibility, not monetization or editorial production.
Do I have to hire you for implementation afterwards? +
No obligation. Many publishers implement our recommendations with their in-house editorial, SEO and dev team. The report is written so any competent team can execute it without us. If you want our team to implement — News Publisher Center setup, structured data, indexing fixes — we quote separately based on scope.
My site was removed from Google News — can you get it back? +
We audit the cause first: most removals trace to E-E-A-T signal loss, Google News content policy violations, quality-signal drops similar to Merchant Center rejections, or a mishandled site migration. We prepare a remediation plan and a reconsideration request via News Publisher Center. Not every removal is reversible, and we'll tell you honestly if recovery probability is low.
Do I still need AMP for Google News and Top Stories? +
No. Google removed the AMP requirement for Top Stories with the page experience update in June 2021 (Google Search Central). We assess whether any legacy AMP setup is still helping or hurting your speed and indexing, and whether removing it is safe for your specific configuration.
Can't I just run a free automated Discover / News checker instead? +
You can, and it is a useful first step for technical flags. But those tools check single URLs and state themselves that they cannot judge headline quality, E-E-A-T or editorial signals. The audit adds site-level, human analysis and a prioritized plan across your whole publication, and a checker result is a fine input to bring us.
Do you work with small or newly launched news sites, or only large publishers? +
Any size. The price is fixed regardless of traffic, with no minimum pageviews and no retainer. Most specialist providers in this niche take on only large publishers under monthly contracts, so newer and smaller titles usually have nowhere to turn.
Can you audit a news site in Polish, Ukrainian or Russian? +
Yes. Content-quality and E-E-A-T review is done natively in EN, PL, UK and RU by the team, not through machine translation. Editorial signals such as headline quality and topical authority cannot be judged reliably through automatic translation, which is why native review matters for PL portals, Ukrainian media and RU-language diaspora publishers in the EU.
Will you work directly with our developers and editors? +
Yes. The report separates dev tasks (structured data, sitemaps, indexing, speed) from editorial tasks (bylines, transparency pages, headline practices), and the included consultation can involve both teams. There is no obligation to hire us for implementation afterwards.

A one-time diagnosis you keep, with no lock-in

See the free preliminary audit before you commit, and if we don't find at least 10 actionable issues, you get a full refund. Take the report and implement it with your own editorial and dev team, or anywhere else.

Free preliminary audit
No long-term contracts
Transparent pricing on this page

Only need feed eligibility? See the Google Discover audit. Prefer not to fill in a form? Write us on Telegram or WhatsApp (+48 668 155 303).

Not Sure Where to Start?

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