How to Become a Google News Source

Not long ago I was searching on ‘How to Become a Google News Source’  I came across an article by Dave Taylor and after reading through his instructions thought they were way too easy…there had to be some kind of catch.  After disputing it with myself for a few moments I figured I’d give his suggestions on becoming a Google News Source a try.  The steps were basic and included going to the Contact Page and simply selecting ‘Recommend My Source.’  From there you’ll get an email from Google:

Thank you for your interest in Google News. Please read this message
thoroughly for important instructions on how to finalize your request to
be included in Google News. In order to help us deal with the large number
of requests for inclusion, we ask that you review our guidelines below and
reply to this email if your site meets our qualifications.

We typically include sites in Google News that:

- have news content that is original to the site
- don’t solely promote their own activities
- are written and maintained by a clear organization, one that has
multiple writers and editors

Please let us know if your site fits these guidelines. If it does, you may
want to review our technical requirements as well found at
http://www.google.com/support/news_pub/bin/topic.py?topic=11665. After we
hear from you, we’ll be happy to review your site for inclusion in Google
News.

While we strive to include as many sources as possible, please be aware
that we can’t guarantee the inclusion of your articles in Google News. We
appreciate your support as we work to improve Google News.

Regards,
The Google Team

Our site meet the qualifications so I replied back in a one liner email with just that.  A day later I got another email saying that we were going to be included and that it would take a couple of weeks.  We started this whole process the later part of April.  In May Search and Referral traffic from Google were both up 10% and in June referral traffic from Google was up 50%.  If you have a site that has multiple contributors and meet the other criteria Google is looking for, taking 10 mins. of your time to see if you can become a Google News Source may be well worth it.  Not only will it result in more traffic from Google, it will also open up your content to an audience who may have otherwise overlooked it.