Google news site

I am thinking about starting a site that I would eventually like to get on google news, what would be the best place to start?

Should I buy an expiring domain? or a new one?

I would like to get into google news within a year,this will be a completely legit site nothing spammy

Any tips on getting in? or is anyone selling a site that is already approved?

 

I would suggest you to go for purchasing an existing site. Try if there is any at the sale purchase area of this forum...

 

Expiring domain will be the best choice. Otherwise if you wish to start a local news site you can buy a new domain with city name.

 

keyword oriented domain is good choice.

 

What criteria does Google use to publish the news of a site in their Google News listings? How is it possible to get in there? Does Google do this automatically? Or do you need to apply for it?

 

You have to apply this form:
http://www.google.com/support/news_pub/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=191208&rd=1

 

Expiring date with keyword oriented is the best one.

 

Is it also possible to get listed as a non-news site in any way? With press releases for example? (Maybe not in the main news section, but in the news->blogs section?)

 

Test first if your articles can get into a google news or other Press release news site.

 

How do you recommend to test it if the articles can get into a google news site? Are there google news sites where the articles can be submitted?

 

There is no way of getting your news going to google news WITHOUT a trusted source. Here are 5 sites that can help you. With this the possibility of getting to google news is higher. Remember that it's important to have a great Press release source. This is where you can test your articles.
http://www.bignews.biz
http://www.pr-inside.com/
http://pr-usa.net/
http://www.bestsyndication.com/
http://www.prfire.co.uk

Once they are approved you can have a very high chance of using it to google news.

 

The domain name

The type of domain name you use does not really matter. Google does not look at the age of a domain name, I managed to get sites into Google news within 3 days since I registered the domain. So, the domain name does not matter at all.

Just keep in mind that you are running a news related website, so having a domain name that refers to news may be an advantage.

Content

This is the most important factor you need to keep into consideration. Google wants high quality and unique content. Google also wants a "continuous flow" of content, and that is why they want websites who has 2 or more writers. So, get a few writers to write for you, check their work before you publish it. Google dont like grammar and spelling errors.

Stay away from duplicated content, how-to articles, re-writing articles, etc. as they will decline your application.

Your website must have a professional appearance, as Google are very particular when they look at the websites they refer their clients to. Be careful when using popular news themes, especially on Wordpress sites, as Google's staff have a tendancy in declining an application when they see websites with the same template. I would suggest that you invest in a custom template during the course of the year.

Don't add only articles to your website. Have sections for useful tools, etc. Google likes websites with additional information, tools and more, besides the news content.

Google News Forums

Go to Google New's forums and be sure to read some of the posts there, it may help you alot!

 

If you want to create a big Google news site, purchasing an existing site which already has good PR is a good choice.

 

Getting into Google News might be difficult because of certain requirements but I think you could do it with a good high PR name and/or an established site purchase if you have teh cash.

 

Greetings,
I agree with Rian, google has nothing to do with a aged or new domain.All that matters is original content and a professional looking website (news oriented).Plugins are super important as well.
Regards