--- type: "Article" title: "Google local news | E-E-A-T trust signals" description: "What Google's local news systems do, how Top stories and the Local news carousel surface local publishers, and what publishers can control." resource: "https://www.laurelinlabs.com/search-systems/local-news-systems" tags: ["google-local-news", "e-e-a-t-trust-signals", "local-news-top-stories-ranking"] generated: { by: "laurelin-site-build/2026-09-02", at: "2026-09-02T12:00:00+00:00" } status: "stable" stale_after: "2027-03-02T00:00:00+00:00" --- # Local news systems Local news systems are confirmed Google ranking systems that identify local sources of news and surface them when relevant, through features such as Top stories and Local news. Google announced a local news carousel in Search in November 2021 and said in 2022 that authoritative local sources now appear more often alongside national publications. Google has not published which signals mark a source as local. For publishers, clear transparency about who you are, where you report and when, plus consistent local coverage, are the inputs you control. ## What are Google's local news systems? Local news systems are Google ranking systems that identify local sources of news and surface them when a search is relevant to a place. Google lists them in its [ranking systems guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide) and names two outputs: the Top stories feature and the Local news feature. In November 2021 Danny Sullivan announced that a carousel of local news stories, first launched for COVID searches, would expand globally in all languages ([Google blog](https://blog.google/products/news/local-news-update-census-mapper/)). ## How do local news systems work? Google has described three parts. A carousel of local stories appears when Google finds local coverage relevant to the query. Ranking in general news features such as Top stories was adjusted so that authoritative local sources appear more often next to national outlets. And topic understanding was refined to narrower subtopics, which Google says it pairs with location signals, so a search for football in Detroit can surface local school and college teams ([Google blog, November 2021](https://blog.google/products/news/local-news-update-census-mapper/)). What Google has not published is how a source is judged to be local or authoritative. Anything more specific than the above is inference. ## What evidence is there that Google uses local news systems? This page is labelled **Confirmed**. The systems are named in Google's ranking systems guide and described in Google blog posts from [November 2021](https://blog.google/products/news/local-news-update-census-mapper/) and [August 2022](https://blog.google/products/search/bringing-readers-even-more-local-news/). The [2022 post](https://blog.google/products/search/bringing-readers-even-more-local-news/), by Chrissy Towle, repeated that Google had improved its systems so authoritative local news sources appear more often in Top stories. ## What should local publishers do? Control the inputs Google does document. Google News policies ask news sources to provide clear dates and bylines, information about authors and the publisher, information about the company behind the content, and contact information ([Google News policies](https://support.google.com/news/publisher-center/answer/6204050?hl=en)). For a local outlet, that should include where you are based and what area you cover. Then make locality visible in the journalism itself: datelines, named places, local sources quoted, and a consistent pattern of coverage of the same area. A falsifiable test: track the share of your Top stories appearances for place name queries in your area in Search Console's news and search appearance data before and after a transparency and coverage overhaul. - Visible bylines and dates on every article. - An About page stating ownership, base and coverage area. - Contact details consistent across the site. - A news sitemap so fresh stories are found quickly. ## Which Laurelin audit checks test for local news systems? Google's locality signals are not public, so these checks measure proxies. The new check [Local publisher does not state its location or coverage area](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/trust-signals/383-local-publisher-does-not-state-its-location-or-coverage-area) looks for the missing basics. Related checks: [Missing image, video or news sitemap](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/technical-foundations/113-missing-image-video-news-sitemap) affects discovery of fresh stories. [No publish or update date shown](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/topical-content/180-no-publish-update-date-shown) and [No named author](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/trust-signals/214-no-named-author) are Google News transparency basics. [No company address details](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/trust-signals/227-no-company-address-details-ymyl-commerce) and [Inconsistent NAP across the site](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/trust-signals/235-inconsistent-nap-across-the-site) weaken the location signal. [No Google Business Profile](https://www.laurelinlabs.com/audit/authority-network/272-no-google-business-profile-local) is a further place anchor for the publisher. ## What are the key dates for Google local news? - 2021-11-16: Google announces a global local news carousel and improved local source ranking in Top stories ([source](https://blog.google/products/news/local-news-update-census-mapper/)) - 2022-08-16: Google blog restates that authoritative local sources appear more often in Top stories ([source](https://blog.google/products/search/bringing-readers-even-more-local-news/)) ## FAQ ### How does Google decide a news site is local? Google has not published the signals. It says its systems identify local sources of news and surface them when relevant, and that it pairs topic understanding with location signals. ### Do I need to be in Google News to appear in the local news carousel? Google has not said so explicitly. Following Google News policies on transparency is a sensible baseline either way. Hub: [Trust Signals](/topics/trust-signals.md)