Google Discover Checker

Google Discover can send more traffic in one day than a blog post gets from search in a month, but only if Google is allowed to show your article with a big image. Most sites miss that because of one hidden setting. A Google Discover checker finds those hidden problems before they cost you clicks.

I built this tool for Peplio because I needed it myself. I run digital marketing at Demech Chemical Products and manage Peplio on my own, and checking robots tags, image sizes and schema by hand for every article was taking far too long. Below you will find how the tool works, what each check means, and how to fix what it finds.

Google Discover Image Size: The Exact Requirements

Getting the Google Discover image size right is the single biggest visual factor for Discover. Here is what Google expects, based on its Discover guidelines and image best practices:

• Width: at least 1200px. Smaller images only qualify for a small thumbnail.
• Shape: 16:9 works best, for example 1200×675 or 1600×900. Square and tall images get cropped heavily.
• Permission: max-image-preview:large must be allowed, or Google cannot show the large image even if your Google Discover image size is correct.
• Placement: the image should be your og:image or listed in your Article schema, so Google knows which image to use.
• Content: avoid logos and text-heavy graphics. Keep faces and key details in the centre, away from the cropped edges.

The tool above checks all five automatically. It downloads your image, reports the real Google Discover image size in pixels, and shows the crop so you can see what readers will actually get.

What Is a Google Discover Checker?

A Google Discover checker is a tool that reads an article the way Google does and tells you whether it meets the technical requirements for Discover, the personalised feed in the Google app and on Android phones. Unlike search, nobody types a query in Discover. Google picks articles based on each reader’s interests, so you cannot target a keyword, but you can make sure nothing technical is blocking you.

According to Google’s Discover documentation, content is eligible automatically once it is indexed and meets Google’s content policies, and large, high quality images are more likely to bring visits. That is exactly what this tool measures.

How This Google Discover Checker Works

This Google Discover checker follows a simple three-step process every time you click Check article:

Step 1: Paste your article URL

Copy the link to one blog post or news article and paste it into the field above. Discover shows articles, so a homepage or category page is not a useful test.

Step 2: The page is scanned like a phone browser

The tool loads your page, reads the robots directives from the robots meta tag and headers, parses your structured data, and downloads your featured image to measure its real pixel size instead of trusting what the code says.

Step 3: Read your score and fixes

You get a verdict, a score out of 100, a Discover-style phone preview and a checklist with the red items first. Every problem includes a fix, and where code is needed there is a Copy code button.

Why Use a Google Discover Checker Instead of Checking by Hand?

Before building this, I checked articles by opening the page source and searching for tags. It worked, but it was slow and I still could not tell how the image would actually be cropped. A Google Discover checker solves both problems.

• It catches silent plugin conflicts. A caching or security plugin can quietly rewrite your robots tag. You would never notice without checking the live page.
• It measures the real image. Your theme may output a resized 768px version as og:image even when you uploaded a large file.
• It shows the crop. Discover cards are wide, so faces and text at the edges of your image can disappear.
• It works before you have traffic. The Search Console Discover report only appears once a site reaches a minimum number of impressions. This tool works from your first article.

7 Reasons This Google Discover Checker Stands Out

1. No signup required

This Google Discover checker works the moment you arrive on the page. Paste a URL, click the button, and your report is ready.

2. Phone preview with Now and After fixes

You see your real title, site name, favicon and image inside a Discover-style feed. If your article only qualifies for a small thumbnail, one click shows how it will look after the fixes.

3. Image crop view

The crop view dims the parts of your featured image that a 16:9 card cuts off and tells you what percentage is lost.

4. Fixes for your SEO plugin

The tool detects Rank Math, Yoast or All in One SEO and gives the exact settings path instead of generic advice.

5. Real Google Discover image size measurement

It downloads the image from og:image, twitter:image or your Article schema and checks the actual width and shape against the recommended Google Discover image size, following Google’s image best practices.

6. Clickbait title check

Google’s guidance on title links and its Discover policies warn against exaggerated headlines. The tool flags clickbait phrases, all-caps titles and repeated punctuation.

7. Shareable result links

Click Copy result link to send the full report to a developer, client or teammate. The link opens the same check automatically.

How to Fix the Most Common Problems a Google Discover Checker Finds

These are the issues this Google Discover checker flags most often, and how to fix each one:

1. Missing max-image-preview:large. In Rank Math, go to Titles & Meta, then Global Meta, then Advanced Robots Meta, and set Max Image Preview to Large. Yoast adds it by default, so if it is missing another plugin is overriding it.
2. Wrong Google Discover image size. Upload a featured image at least 1200px wide, ideally 16:9. You can resize it with the Peplio Image Resizer and compress it with the Image Optimizer so it still loads fast.
3. No Article schema. Set the post’s schema type to Article or BlogPosting in your SEO plugin. Google lists the recommended properties in its Article structured data guide.
4. Page set to noindex. Remove the noindex setting in your SEO plugin. Google explains how noindex works in its guide to blocking indexing.
5. Old publish date. Update the article with genuinely new information. Changing only the date does not help.

Discover readers are all on phones, so speed matters too. Test your pages with the Peplio Website Speed Analyzer and review your Core Web Vitals.

Google Discover Checker vs Other Ways to Check

Here is an honest comparison between Peplio’s Google Discover checker and the other ways creators check Discover readiness:

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this Google Discover checker really free?

Yes. This Google Discover checker has no hidden costs, no credits and no signup. Usage is capped at 30 checks per hour per user to keep the service fast for everyone.

What does max-image-preview:large mean?

It is a robots meta setting that allows Google to show a large version of your image. Google needs it (or an AMP page) before Discover can show your article as a big image card instead of a small thumbnail.

What is the best Google Discover image size?

The best Google Discover image size is at least 1200 pixels wide in a 16:9 shape, such as 1200×675 or 1600×900. Google asks for large, high quality images, and Discover cards crop to roughly 16:9, so this size keeps your whole image visible.

Can a Google Discover checker guarantee Discover traffic?

No. A Google Discover checker confirms the technical requirements, but Google picks articles based on each reader’s interests and the quality of your content. Passing every check removes the technical blockers.

Do I need AMP to appear in Google Discover?

No. AMP is not required. Normal pages qualify for large Discover cards as long as they allow max-image-preview:large and use an image at least 1200 pixels wide.

Does the tool store the URLs I check?

Results are cached for 30 minutes so repeat checks load instantly, then they are deleted. Nothing is linked to you and no account is created.

Start Using the Google Discover Checker Now

Scroll back to the top of this page, paste one of your articles and see your score and real Google Discover image size in about ten seconds. Fix the red items first, check again, and your article is ready for Discover. That is the job of a good Google Discover checker: no guessing, no signup, just clear fixes.

Passing every check makes an article eligible, but content still has to earn the click. Read Google’s guide to creating helpful content, check your pages with the Peplio AEO Checker, or explore the Peplio Digital Marketing Comic series where I explain SEO through real stories.