Google Adds Preferred Sources Publisher Button
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- Google is making an interactive “Preferred Sources” button available to online publishers for embedding on their own websites, with selected sources highlighted across Search, Discover, and Google News.
- Google expanded Preferred Sources to AI Mode and AI Overviews in May, after the option was already available in Top Stories.
- Google said people had selected more than 345,000 unique sources through the method as of the May launch.
- Google said earlier studies found users were twice as likely to click through to a preferred source when one was available.
- Google said readers will be able to use natural-language commands in Discover’s three-dot menus, while Android users can customize audio daily briefings in Google News.
Why it matters: Publishers gain a direct way to ask readers to favor their links across Google’s search, AI, and news surfaces, while Google says users were twice as likely to click through to preferred sources in earlier studies. The feature gives traffic-dependent outlets a stated route to more traffic.
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