Google announced in August 2026 that it is giving online publishers an embeddable “Preferred Sources” button, allowing readers to designate a site as a favorite directly from that publisher’s own webpage. Once selected, the preferred source will be highlighted more prominently across Google Search, Discover, and Google News.
The button is available for publishers to embed on their websites. When a reader clicks it, Google registers that site as a preferred source tied to that user’s account. Readers can also add preferred publishers manually by visiting Google’s source preferences page and searching for a publisher by name or website.
The launch builds on a May 2026 rollout that introduced Preferred Sources within Google’s AI experiences, including AI Mode and AI Overviews, as well as in Top Stories. Google said that by the time of that earlier launch, users had already selected more than 345,000 unique sources through the feature.
Google said the move is a direct response to declining referral traffic that publishers have experienced as AI-powered search features answer more queries without sending users to external websites. The company cited internal research showing that users are twice as likely to click through to a preferred source when one is available, suggesting the tool could help restore some of that lost traffic.
Alongside the button, Google said readers will soon be able to customize their Discover feed using natural language commands — tapping a three-dot menu in the feed to tell Google what topics they want to see more or less of. Android users will also gain the ability to customize audio daily briefings in the Google News app. Google noted that other social media platforms have recently introduced similar user-controlled feed customization tools.
Source: TechCrunch