Google is rolling out a new “Preferred Sources” button that publishers can add to their websites. The button lets readers mark a publisher as a preferred source while using Google Search, Google Discover, and Google News. Google says becoming a preferred source can lead to more traffic to publishers, including when readers click through to links connected to those sources.
Google frames the move as a response to referral traffic losses linked to AI-powered search experiences that can reduce clicks to external sites. TechCrunch and Slashdot both report that Google says publishers’ sites can benefit when preference signals are available; Google also cites internal studies indicating higher click likelihood for preferred sources. Slashdot adds that the “Preferred Sources” flow has already reached scale since a prior launch.
Alongside the button, Google also plans to let users customize their Discover feed using natural-language commands in the Google app, adjusting what topics they want to see more or less of via the feed’s three-dot menu. The reported rollout focuses on giving publishers additional tools and giving readers more control over content discovery in Google products.
