Google launches new "Standout" tag to highlight featured content
Last week Google announced the new “Standout” tag for use with Google News that can be utilised by news organisations to mark their finest work. The standout tag is included as part of a “link rel” attribute and can be allocated to up to seven pieces of content each week. Any more than that, and the tags users may find that their tags are less recognised or even ignored altogether. The tag is placed inside the HTML header portion of the article's source code, the syntax for which should look something like this: Because the attribute is inside the header, it is only seen by automated services, not by the readers of the articles themselves. Google News uses this information as a signal to mark the referenced piece of content as a part of your “featured” news stories. This means it can not only be applied to your work but can also be used to point to content from other domains that you perhaps believe should be credited with providing the resources necessary for your work. The rule of only using the standout tag seven times a week only applies to your work; it does not include crediting external content; this can be done as many times as you like. So what does this mean for publishers interested in SEO on Google News? Well, not much for those in the UK as of yet, as the new tag is currently only available in the US version of Google News, and it remains currently unclear as to when this feature will roll out over here. Although I imagine if the feature proves to be a successful one it won’t be too long before it begins to stretch out to other territories. However, for those across the pond, this new tag assists with article SEO by not only providing a great option for publishers that are not approved and so are unable to use the “Editor’s Picks” alternative to feature their best work but also providing publishers with another opportunity to credit others where credit is due by linking to each other’s work, a necessary component of building trust between organisations.