How to Get Featured on Google News

By Sam Harris, Digital Networking Agency · Last updated 9 August 2026

Google News is one of the largest news surfaces in the world, and one of the most commonly misdescribed by people selling PR.

Here is the honest version.

What Google News actually is

Google News is an aggregator. It indexes and organises journalism published elsewhere. It does not commission articles, it does not employ reporters writing about founders, and it has no editorial desk you can contact.

So "being in Google News" is never a relationship with Google. It is a consequence of being published on a site that Google News already surfaces.

There is no submit button

This is the single most useful correction on this page, so it is worth stating plainly.

Google changed its approach in 2019. Sites are no longer required to apply for inclusion in Google News — eligibility is largely automatic for publishers that meet Google's content policies. There is no queue to join and no manual submission step for general inclusion.

Google's Publisher Center still exists, but it is mainly a tool for publishers to manage how their brand and content are presented. It is not a door you knock on to get an article accepted, and it is not something an agency can use to push a client's piece into Google News.

If anyone tells you they will submit your article to Google News, they are describing a process that does not exist.

It means an article about you was published by a site that Google News indexes, and that article now appears when someone searches your name or topic there.

Two things follow from that.

  • The publication is what matters, not Google. Choose the outlet well and the Google News appearance takes care of itself.
  • Visibility is ranked, not granted. Being indexed is not the same as being prominent. What surfaces high is driven by relevance, timeliness, authority and the usual signals — none of which anyone sells.

How coverage gets there

  • Earn it. Pitch publications that Google News already indexes when you have real news. Free, slow, and the editor's call.
  • Publish through a wire or syndication route. Press releases distributed through wire services often appear on financial and news sites. This is a paid distribution product, it is usually labelled, and it is not the same as a journalist writing about you.
  • Use a professional feature service. A team develops the story, writes it to editorial standard and places it with an outlet that is already indexed. Faster and more predictable.

Outlets such as Digital Journal, International Business Times and Benzinga are the kind of indexed, real publications this route runs through. The work is in getting the piece good enough to run, not in getting Google to notice.

What makes a piece perform there

Google News favours things that behave like news. A clear headline that describes what happened, a timely hook, a named author, a specific claim rather than a vague one, and a publisher with a genuine publishing record.

Thin, keyword-stuffed content published to nowhere in particular does not perform, and it can quietly damage the credibility you were trying to build.

What we do

Digital Networking Agency writes and places features with publications that Google News already surfaces. You approve the piece before it goes live and you keep the permanent link.

We will not tell you we can submit anything to Google News, because nobody can. What we can do is get the story published somewhere that counts, which is the part that actually determines whether it shows up.

Frequently asked questions

Can I submit my article to Google News?

No. There is no submission route for an individual article. Inclusion follows from being published on a site that already meets Google's content policies and is indexed.

Do I need a Publisher Center account?

Only if you run a publication of your own and want control over how it is presented. It is not a requirement for coverage about you to appear.

Is a Google News appearance worth paying for?

Pay for the article and the publication, not for the aggregator. Anyone pricing Google News itself as the deliverable is charging you for something they do not control.