Google has updated its News algorithm with enhanced source authority evaluation, impacting which publications appear in Top Stories and Google News feeds.
Key Changes
Source Authority Scoring
The updated algorithm now evaluates:
- Historical accuracy: Track record of factual reporting
- Editorial standards: Published editorial policies
- Corrections practices: How quickly and visibly errors are corrected
- Source transparency: Ownership and funding disclosure
- Journalist credentials: Author expertise verification
Impact on Different Publisher Types
| Publisher Type | Impact | Expected Change |
|---|---|---|
| Major outlets | Neutral | Minimal change |
| Established niche | Positive | 10-20% more visibility |
| New publishers | Mixed | Harder to break in |
| Aggregators | Negative | 15-30% less visibility |
| Opinion-heavy sites | Negative | 20-40% less visibility |
Author Authority Emphasis
New signals for author evaluation:
- Published author pages with credentials
- Social media verification
- Professional background verification
- Previous publication history
- Expert recognition in field
Recommendations for Publishers
- Audit author pages: Ensure complete bios and credentials
- Strengthen editorial policies: Publish clear standards
- Improve corrections process: Make corrections visible
- Add source transparency: Disclose ownership and funding
- Build journalist authority: Support author personal branding
- Reduce aggregation: Increase original reporting
- Implement author schema: Complete Person markup with sameAs
Timeline
- June 1: Update begins rolling out
- June 15: Full rollout complete
- July 1: First performance data available
- July 15: Revised publisher guidelines published