Hajra Naz
AI continues to reduce traffic to websites across the internet. In response, Google announced something new on Thursday. It’s aimed at publishers negatively affected by this shift. Google is now letting readers push a specific button. That button appears directly on a publisher’s website. Readers can use it to mark a site as a “favorite source.” This helps that source get highlighted more often. That visibility spans Google Search, Discover, and Google News.
Google confirmed how this feature will work. The company is making this new, interactive “Preferred Sources” button available to publishers. Publishers can now embed this button directly on their own websites.
Building on an Earlier Rollout
This launch builds on something Google introduced back in May. At that time, the company rolled out Preferred Sources within its AI experiences. That included AI Mode and AI Overviews. The option was already available in Top Stories before that.
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Why Google Is Doing This
The core idea here is fairly simple. Google wants to make it easier for readers to find trusted sources. This applies when people are searching for content. It also applies when they’re interacting with Google’s AI tools to learn about a topic or catch up on news. Google shared some numbers from the May launch. According to the company, people across the web had already selected more than 345,000 unique sources through this method.
How to Add a Preferred Source
Adding a favorite publisher is fairly straightforward. Readers can visit Google’s source preferences page directly. From there, they can search for a specific publisher. That search can be done by name or by website.
The Impact on Publisher Traffic
Becoming a preferred source can genuinely help publishers, according to Google. The company pointed to findings from earlier studies. Those studies found something notable. People are twice as likely to click through to a preferred source, when that option is available. By offering these tools, Google appears to be addressing a real concern. AI-powered search features have significantly hurt traffic-dependent businesses in recent years.
New Customization Options for Discover
Alongside this new button, Google announced another update. Readers will soon be able to customize their Discover feed more directly. This will happen within Google’s app. To use this feature, readers simply tap the three-dot menu within the feed. From there, they can tell Google what topics they want to see more of. They can also specify topics they’d prefer to see less often. This works through natural language commands. According to Google, this helps refine the feed in real time.
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Part of a Broader Industry Trend
Google isn’t alone in offering AI-powered feed customization tools. Several major social media platforms have made similar moves recently. In recent months, many top apps have launched user-controlled algorithms. These tools let people fine-tune the content recommended to them directly.
More Personalization Coming to Android
Google shared one more update related to personalization. Beyond the Discover feed, the company has plans for Android users specifically. Those users will be able to customize their audio daily briefings. This feature will roll out within the Google News app.
