Google adds Preferred Sources button to publisher sites

On publisher sites with the new button, readers will no longer first have to search for the outlet in Google’s settings. A click on the new “Preferred Sources” button on a publisher’s website – that is, a digital media provider – should be enough for its content to stand out more prominently on Google. According to heise online, the feature is initially launching in the US.

The goal is specific: Articles from preferred media outlets should become more visible in Top Stories, the Discover feed and Google News. Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, where artificial intelligence summarizes or answers search queries, should also highlight the marked source with an indication. After clicking, readers are taken back to their original position on the website, according to ITmedia.

Reports give different figures for how many people are already using this selection. According to ITmedia and heise online, Google cites more than 600,000 different sources; when the feature launched in May, TechCrunch had reported 345,000 selected sources. Google also points to earlier studies according to which users click on a preferred source twice as often when it is offered.

Google is also changing how users select content. In the Discover feed – the personalized stream of news and topics in the Google app – they will soon be able to use natural language to specify what they want to see more or less often. Google gives requests for an eco-friendly kitchen renovation or weekend videos without camping as examples. The feed is supposed to apply and save the instructions immediately; according to Google, the rollout is initially planned for the US in the next few days, with a global expansion planned.

So what does this change in concrete terms? Readers get a more direct way to control their information choices without having to open a separate settings page. For media outlets, the button could increase the chance of additional Google clicks – especially where AI answers make it harder to visit websites directly. This effect is not yet certain: The figure on the higher click probability comes from Google’s own earlier research, and the new button is initially available only in the US. Android users are also getting a customizable audio briefing in Google News, with selectable topics and links to the full articles.