Google Top Stories: updates to the Top Stories carousel in SERP

It is a feature that frequently appears in SERPs for queries about facts or names related to current events and brings together some articles, typically three, from Web sources: the Google Top Stories carousel, is a major source of traffic and, as we know, with the Page Experience Update it is going to change considerably, because it will no longer be reserved only to AMP pages. Let’s try and make some clarity on this carousel, retracing its history and providing some useful information to the sites to optimize the content and enter into the news highlights.

What is the Google Top Stories carousel

Google Search introduced the concept of Top Stories carousel in 2016, adding it to SERP features featured on both desktop and mobile.

The top stories section brings together a number of useful and timely articles dealing with current news, trying to provide a differentiated point of view and to ensure a modern and attractive interaction for users, who can read articles from trusted sites and who ensure positive experiences.

The articles are usually three, but the user can also browse further to search for other content or click on “show all” to launch the search in News.

Google uses machine learning to select, collect and sort news based on their importance and seeks to reward the so-called original news, namely facts, information, fresh and original insights that have not been published anywhere else.

From June 22, 2021 Top Stories is not an AMP pages exclusive anymore

Most of the content that appears in the Main News carousel comes from editorial sites, but it is not excluded that you can read articles published on blogs and other sources.

To be among the main news, then, you do not have to be strictly a news site or be subscribed to Google News (also because, in the meantime, has been abolished the request to subscribe to the search engine news): the sites must only comply with the rules on the publication of content, optimize some basic aspects that define the positioning (timeliness, relevance, authoritativeness, position and language of the article, among other criteria) and serve the page through