Google is giving publishers a new way to encourage readers to mark them as preferred sources across Search, Discover, and Google News. The company said publishers can now embed a Preferred Sources button directly on their websites, making it easier for readers to signal that they want to see more content from those outlets.
The feature expands on Google’s earlier rollout of Preferred Sources in Top Stories and, more recently, in AI Mode and AI Overviews. Google said users had already selected more than 345,000 unique sources through the feature as of May.
Publishers Can Add the Button Directly to Their Sites
Readers can still manage preferred publishers through Google’s source preferences page, where they can search for a publication by name or website. The new embedded button gives publishers a more direct way to prompt readers to make that choice without leaving the site first.
Google said becoming a preferred source can increase referral traffic. In earlier testing, users were about twice as likely to click through to a preferred source when one was available.
The change arrives as publishers continue to report traffic declines linked to AI-generated answers appearing directly in Search. By giving users more control over which outlets appear prominently, Google is adding another mechanism that could direct some search traffic back to publishers.
Discover Is Getting More User-Controlled Recommendations
Alongside the Preferred Sources update, Google said users will soon be able to customize their Discover feeds using natural-language instructions.
Readers will be able to tap the three-dot menu on an item in Discover and tell Google which topics they want to see more or less often. The system will then use that feedback to adjust recommendations in real time.
Similar user-controlled recommendation tools have also appeared on social media platforms in recent months as companies give people more direct control over algorithmic feeds.
Google is extending personalization to audio as well. Android users will be able to customize daily audio briefings inside the Google News app, giving them more control over the subjects included in those updates.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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