Google adds a Preferred Sources button for news publishers

In short: Google is giving online publishers a new button they can add to their sites so readers can mark them as a preferred source in Google.

What happened

Google announced an interactive “Preferred Sources” button that publishers can embed on their own websites. When a reader presses it, they are telling Google they want to see that publisher more often across Google Search, Discover, and Google News.

This move comes as more people get answers directly inside Google’s AI features, which can reduce how many clicks go out to websites. AI Overviews, for example, can summarize information at the top of the page, so some users never visit the original articles.

Google started rolling out Preferred Sources inside its AI experiences in May, including AI Mode and AI Overviews, and it was previously available in Top Stories. Google said that as of the May launch, people had already selected more than 345,000 unique sources.

Readers can also choose favorite publishers from Google’s source preferences page at https://www.google.com/preferences/. Google says it has found people are twice as likely to click a preferred source when it is available.

Google also said readers will soon be able to fine-tune the Discover feed in the Google app using their own words, like telling it what topics they want more or less of (like adjusting a radio station to get more of the songs you like).

Why it matters

Many news and information sites rely on visits from Google to make money through ads and subscriptions. If fewer people click through, those businesses can shrink, even if their reporting is still being read indirectly through summaries. This button is one way for readers to signal which sites they trust and want to keep seeing.

Source: TechCrunch AI