Google Lets Users Pick Their Own News Sources With New Preferred Sources Feature
Google / Preferred Sources
Google is rolling out a Preferred Sources feature that will allow users in the US and India to choose the outlets, including news sites and blogs, they want to see featured most prominently in the Top Stories section of Google Search.
After searching for a topic, users can tap a star icon next to the Top Stories section, search for an outlet, and add it as a preferred source. Users will then start to see more articles from these sources displayed in Top Stories when the sources have published new and relevant content related to their search.
Why It Matters: In an increasingly AI-powered search world, where Google's AI Overviews are turning search results into summaries of information, leading to more zero-click searches and a drop in website traffic for many, the addition of Preferred Sources is a response to some of the backlash around that.
By allowing users to add their preferred sources, it gives them more power and influence over Google's algorithm and AI-generated summaries, and more curation over what they see.
This also brings opportunities for creators and publishers to encourage their followers and subscribers to add their outlets as preferred sources so they see more of their content in these increasingly AI-powered search experiences.
If you want to see more content from me in your Google searches, you can add this newsletter and my blog as Preferred Sources.