Getting your content into Google News is a powerful means to increase viewership and build authority for your brand. But transforming your marketing department into a newsroom can be challenging without the proper processes and resources. It requires daily publishing of compelling, relevant news content that adds value to the lives of those you’re trying to reach.

Every day, I receive a slew of Google Alerts in my inbox. These alerts show the latest headlines for keywords related to the topics that I write about. The same blogs appear over and over again in these alerts, which means that they are probably getting a ton of traffic from people who subscribe to their keywords.

So I set out to find how you can submit your blog to Google Alerts/Google News and receive massive amounts of traffic. While the process is easy, your chances of getting in are slim. Here’s why …

Google has strict criteria for what is and isn’t news. Your content must be objective news – no “how to” articles, advice columns or sales pitches. If Google thinks that your site is primarily used to sell products or services, they won’t accept your blog for inclusion in Google News. For a complete list of Google’s criteria and to submit your blog to Google News, click here.

If you don’t meet Google’s criteria but don’t want to remove your advertising from your blog, there are other ways to get noticed by Google. Here are some ideas:

1. Submit articles to blogs that are picked up by Google News.

While an article posted on your blog may not get noticed by Google News, the same article published on a blog that is regularly featured on Google News has entirely different odds. Subscribe to Google Alerts for keywords that you want to be picked up for, and see which blogs appear on a regular basis. Then, you can determine if you want to form relationships with any of these blogs and submit guest posts to them.

2. Publish press releases to major newswires.

If the bulk of your website’s content is ineligible for inclusion in Google Alerts, you can post a press release when you have something that Google may consider newsworthy. Using one of the major newswire services can increase the odds that your press release gets picked up by Google.

3. Follow SEO best practices.

Instead of trying to get picked up by Google News, you can focus on improving your content’s SEO to bring more targeted visitors to your website. Taking the slow and steady approach may seem frustrating at first, but it will give you better results in the long run. For some SEO tips, see “How to Create Google-Friendly Content that Increases Your Conversions.”

Whether you’re trying to get picked up by Google News or want to improve your regular SEO, the quality of your content is essential. In 2012, Google implemented some changes to give high-quality content better rankings. So, the more your target audience finds your content useful, the more Google will reward you.

Getting your content into Google News is a powerful means to increase viewership and build authority for your brand. But transforming your marketing department into a newsroom can be challenging without the proper processes and resources. It requires daily publishing of compelling, relevant news content that adds value to the lives of those you’re trying to reach.

What about you? Have you ever tried submitting content for inclusion on Google News? Do you feel that Google News coverage is essential for your business? Feel free to share your comments below.