While Norwegian online stores stress AI-powered search agents eating Google traffic, an alternative organic channel is emerging, the few of them have a deliberate strategy for: Google DiscoverSo let's say that this is the same thing as that.
And no, this is not enough a speculation on how to optimize for ChatGPT or Perplexity.
This is something you can actually test, measure and work with todaySo let's say that this is the same thing as that.
What is Google Discover?
Google Discover is the personalized content feed that appears in the Google app on your mobile phone and on the home page of many Android devices. Think Facebook feed or X-timeline - but controlled by Google.
The great difference from traditional search? The user has not searched for anything.
Google chooses to display content based on interests, past behavior and context. It's curated, not in demand.
For an online store it does not mean “write more blog posts”, but:
- purchase guides
- Product explanations
- use scenarios
- locally perpendicular content
- visual content that actually helps people make a choice
If your contents are in Discover, you have bypassed the entire match for the places in the search results.
Why this suddenly is more relevant
For many years Discover was a nice to garden- Channel. Some publishers suddenly got traffic peaks, but few built strategies around it.
And then two things happened:
- AI Overviews began eating clicks from traditional search results
- Several signals indicate that Google has tightened the Discover algorithm on quality, trust and responsibility for dispatch (including visible in guidelines and actual changes reported by publishers since winter 2026)
And the last thing that's important.
When Google chooses what they show people – without the user asking for it – the responsibility for quality is dramatically increased. The result is less clickbait and thin content, and more depth from sources Google trusts.
Many interpret this as a settlement with AI generated content. My claim is simpler:
Google doesn't care if the contents are made by AI.
They care about it is:
- scaled without substance
- thin
- or risky in ways that undermine trust
Three Realistic Ways for Discover Forward
Google has no clear product manual for Discover, so we have to read the signals. Here are three likely directions:
1. Personalised homepage
Discover can develop into a personal homepage for the Google ecosystem – with articles, video, product content and perhaps more data from its own services. The aim is to keep users in their own hands. Historically, MSN and Yahoo have shown that this can become a solid ad machine.
2. Local and regional first
Google has explicitly signaled a growing emphasis on local content. For online shops with physical shops, this is interesting: locally relevant content can hit larger national actors in the feed.
Three. More video – fewer “creator”
Discover shows an increasing number of videos, especially from YouTube. Product demos, purchase guides and “how” content already works well. You don't have to be MrBeast -- but you can learn from the formats.
The most interesting: Discover as an upstream signal
Here's the hypothesis that makes Discover strategically interesting:
Google Discover can act as an upstream signal for how Google understands you, your products and your users – across searches, AI Overviews and future interfaces.
In other words, Discover content can affect Google's understanding of user intention over time.
If this is true, Discover is not just “one channel”. It's a way to shape how Google sees you.
Four Practical Takeaways
1. Check Search Console Now
Discover traffic is reported separately in Google Search Console. Many online shops already have traffic there – without knowing why.
2. Test Systemically
Create a single frame:
- publish regularly
- Follow what actually ends up in Discover
- look for patterns in theme, format and click
Three. Follow Google's advice (they are actually usable)
- Descriptional headings (not clickbait)
- Large images (min. 1200 px Width)
- People-first content: write for people, not for algorithms
4. Think visually from day one
Video and strong images can be used for more space. Start simple:
- product demos filmed with mobile
- short purchase guides
- well photographed content of clear value
Why this is more important than it sounds
Many online stores say: ‘Google no longer sends traffic’. They are right – but the conclusion is wrong.
Google still sends traffic. It's just coming from places other than before.
While others hunt the next “AI-optimisation chess” for ChatGPT and Perplexity, you can build visibility in a Google channel like:
- grow
- can be measured today
- and in which Google obviously invests more
It's not glamorous. It's not cutting edge.
But it works.
And right now, there's more than you can say about most of the “future strategies” for organic traffic.