Google quietly tests enhanced Discover profiles for select publishers

Google has started giving a tiny group of publishers more control over how they look inside Discover, and the change is bigger than it first appears. In a system-wide review of 46,926 publishers, only 54 were found with enhanced profile features, making this an invitation-only pilot rather than a broad rollout.

Standard Discover profiles are still mostly hands-off. They are auto-generated by Google, show a publisher name, follower count, Knowledge Graph social links and recent posts, and carry a footer indicating that Google generated the profile. The new version, by contrast, lets select publishers add custom banner images, build configurable link shelves and pin posts. They can also control the order of social links, website links and content tabs, replacing the automated layout used on standard profiles.

Google has not published a request path for access, and there is no Search Console toggle or application form. That leaves the strongest signal that Google hand-picked the participants. The cohort identified so far is small, U.S.-based and English-language, which makes the test narrow but meaningful for anyone watching how Google wants publishers presented across its surfaces.

The timing fits a steady shift in Google’s publishing products toward automated, identity-driven distribution. In April 2024, Google stopped allowing publishers to manually add publications in Publisher Center and said eligible publication pages would be added automatically. In February 2025, Google said Google News would fully transition to automatically generated publication pages in March, and that Publisher Center customization features for publication pages would be discontinued. Discover followed the same direction later in 2025, when Google said users could follow publishers and creators directly within Discover on September 17, 2025.

Google then layered on more AI-driven presentation. In October 2025, it said its upgraded Discover experience would show brief previews that could be expanded, along with links to keep exploring content on the web. That feature was available in the United States, South Korea and India. Google also said the updates were meant to make it easier to “find, follow and engage” with the content and creators people care about most.

For agencies and media teams, the lesson is simple: publisher identity is becoming a distribution lever, not just a branding detail. Clean social link data, consistent naming, strong author and publisher relationships, and disciplined profile hygiene now matter more because Google is clearly testing surfaces where the publisher itself is part of the product. Google’s Search Status Dashboard also shows a Discover update that began on February 5, 2026 and completed on February 27, 2026, another sign that the channel is still moving under the hood.