Google lets publishers add a Preferred Sources button
Google has made an interactive Preferred Sources button available for online publishers to embed on their own websites. The button lets readers identify a publication as a favourite source they want Google to highlight more often in Search, Discover and Google News.
The move is aimed at publishers whose traffic has been affected by AI-powered search experiences. Google said becoming a preferred source can send more visitors to a publisher’s website. In its earlier studies, people were twice as likely to click through to a preferred source when that option was available.
Preference controls move onto publisher sites
Preferred Sources was introduced in May across Google’s AI experiences, including AI Mode and AI Overviews, and had already been available in Top Stories. At the time of the May launch, Google said people across the web had selected more than 345,000 unique sources through the preference feature.
Readers can also add a publisher through Google’s source preferences page by searching for its name or website. The new embeddable button brings that choice closer to the publisher’s own audience, rather than requiring users to find the control within Google first.
Google’s wider AI search development includes Google AI Mode app task launch, where AI Mode can launch tasks in apps directly from Search, illustrating how the company is extending AI-led interactions beyond conventional result pages.
Discover and Google News gain further tuning options
Google also said readers will soon be able to personalise their Discover feed in the Google app using natural-language instructions. From a three-dot menu on a feed item, users can tell Google which topics they want to see more or less often, and Google says the feed will refine in real time.
Android users will also be able to customise audio daily briefings in the Google News app. Google noted that other social media applications have recently introduced AI-powered controls that let users fine-tune recommended content.
What publishers should take from the change
The feature does not alter how Google’s AI experiences present answers, but it gives publishers a direct mechanism for asking loyal readers to express a source preference. Businesses that rely on search referrals can consider where the button fits in their audience journey, then monitor whether preferred-source selection is accompanied by measurable changes in Google referral traffic.