Discord Plans To Index Public Messages On Google Search
Discord will make public-channel messages searchable on Google from December, allowing communities to attract new members. This change may increase visibility for public communities.
Original reporting · searchenginewatch.com
Original: “Discord could put your public messages in Google search from December”
Read “Discord could put your public messages in Google search from December” at Search Engine Watch →
How this was written. Content Catalyst wrote this article with a language model from Search Engine Watch’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from Search Engine Watch’s report
- Discord will make public-channel messages searchable on Google from December
- The change only applies to Discoverable Servers with at least 1,000 members
- Community administrators and members will have control over which channels and messages are included in search results
- Public Server Web Pages will be introduced from November 16 to provide a summary of discussions
- Members can opt-out of having their messages appear in search results
Discord is planning to make some of its public-channel messages available through web search, including Google, starting from mid-December, according to Search Engine Watch. This move may help community owners attract new members who are searching for information online. The change is expected to roll out gradually over several weeks.
The new feature will only apply to Discoverable Servers, which are public communities with at least 1,000 members. Private servers and direct messages will not be included in the search results. Messages sent before the rollout will also be excluded.
Before the searchable messages are available, Discord will introduce public Server Web Pages for every Discoverable Server from November 16. These pages will provide a summary of discussions and can be customized by community administrators. If administrators do not create a custom page, Discord will generate a default page using the server's profile.
The public Server Web Pages will show automated summaries of discussions from November 16 onward. Individual messages will be available in search results from mid-December. This gradual rollout will give community administrators time to review and adjust their settings.
Community administrators will have control over which channels are included in the search results. They can choose to allow summaries of discussions or individual messages to be indexed by search engines. Members will also have control over their own messages and can choose to opt-out of having their messages appear in search results.
Members with Administrator permission can change the settings for their community on desktop or in a browser. They can review and adjust the channel lists before November 16 to ensure that the correct channels are included in the search results. Private and role-restricted channels will be excluded from the search results.
Discord's member guidance explains that individual-message sharing will be turned off by default in certain regions, including the EU/EEA, UK, Canada, Brazil, Australia, and South Korea. Teen accounts will not be able to enable this feature. Members can change their settings in User Settings, Data & Privacy.
Questions and answers
Which Discord servers will be included in the search results?
Only Discoverable Servers with at least 1,000 members will be included in the search results.
Can members control whether their messages appear in search results?
Yes, members can opt-out of having their messages appear in search results by changing their settings in User Settings, Data & Privacy.
What happens to messages that were sent before the rollout?
Messages sent before the rollout will not be included in the search results.
