Google Preferred Sources Goes Global: How to Get Readers to Pick Your Site

If your site publishes news, quick updates or commentary, Google Preferred Sources is one of the few ways your loyal readers can tell Google directly that they want more of you. Searchers pick their favourite sites. Those sites then show up more often in Top Stories for that person.

On 10 December 2025, Google said it was taking the feature global. It starts with English-language users worldwide, and all other supported languages follow in early 2026. So many publishers outside the US and India can now ask their readers to choose them.

In this guide I explain how the feature works, who gains most, how to set up the “add as a preferred source” link and button, and what it won’t do for you.

What Google Preferred Sources Is

Preferred Sources is a personal setting for Top Stories in Google Search. A searcher picks the websites they trust or enjoy. Google then gives those sites more space when that person searches for a news topic.

Chosen sites can show up more often inside the Top Stories block. They can also appear in a separate section called “From your sources”. Other sites still show up, so this is a boost, not a filter.

The main point for site owners is simple. The reader makes this choice. You can’t switch it on yourself. Your job is to make the choice easy and give people a reason to make it.

A Short Timeline

• June 2025: Google tested the idea as a Search Labs experiment for English users in the US and India.
• 12 August 2025: Preferred Sources launched fully in Top Stories for users in the US and India. People who picked sources during the Labs test kept them.
• 10 December 2025: Google announced a global rollout. It starts with English-language users worldwide “in the coming days”. All supported languages are due to follow early in 2026.

Google’s December 2025 announcement also shared two useful numbers. People had picked nearly 90,000 unique sources, from small local blogs to global news sites. And when someone picks a preferred source, they click through to that site about twice as often on average.

In my view, that second number is the one that matters. It tells me people actually use their choices.

How Google Preferred Sources Works for Searchers

I always look at a feature from the reader’s side first, because that is what you will ask them to do. Here is the process Google describes:

1. Search Google for a topic that is in the news right now, so a Top Stories block shows up.
2. Click the star icon to the right of the Top Stories heading.
3. On the next page, search for the sites you want and tick each one.
4. Refresh the results page to see more stories from your chosen sites.

A few details matter here:

• No limit on choices. People can pick as many sources as they like. Google said more than half of its early Labs testers chose four or more.
• Changes are easy. A reader can add or remove sources at any time from the same settings page.
• Only news-style searches use it. If a search doesn’t show Top Stories, the setting has nothing to change.

A Simple Example

Say a reader follows a local football blog and also reads two national sports sites. They add the blog as a preferred source. Next time they search for the club’s latest transfer news, the blog is more likely to show up in Top Stories or under “From your sources”, next to the bigger sites.

Without that choice, the blog might never show for that search. Big publishers usually take most of the Top Stories spots for popular stories.

Who the Feature Is For

Preferred Sources matters most to sites whose content shows up, or could show up, in Top Stories. That includes:

• News publishers, from national titles to local and very local outlets.
• Niche and trade publications that cover industry news.
• Blogs and creators who often publish timely posts on topics people search for, like sport, tech, finance or gaming.
• Brands that run a real newsroom or update hub, not just a press release page.

Google named local blogs among the sources people had chosen. So you don’t need to be a big publisher to gain from this. You do need to publish the kind of content that fits news searches.

If your site is all evergreen content (pages that stay useful for years, like a plumber’s service pages), Preferred Sources will do very little for you. I’d spend that time on the basics in our practical 2026 SEO plan for small businesses.

Why It Matters for Publishers Right Now

Top Stories visibility has always depended on Google’s ranking systems. Preferred Sources adds a signal that comes straight from your readers, and it works for each reader on their own.

I see three practical benefits:

• Less risk from ranking swings. Ranking changes can move your Top Stories visibility a lot. Readers who chose you give you some extra presence with that group. If the recent update hit you, our breakdown of the December 2025 core update covers what to check first.
• More clicks. Google’s figure of about twice the click rate on preferred sources suggests people act on their choices.
• A direct line to your loyal readers. Your newsletter subscribers and social followers already like you. This lets that loyalty carry over into Google Search.

How to Get Readers to Add Your Site as a Preferred Source

Google’s advice for publishers is in its Publisher Center help pages. It suggests two main methods. One is a direct link to your site’s entry in the preferences tool. The other is a button you put on your site. Both lead to the same place.

Step 1: Check Your Site Shows Up in the Tool

Before you promote anything, open the source preferences page yourself and search for your website. Check that it shows up and that the name and domain look right.

Search by your domain (for example example.com) and by your brand name. I always do this check first. If readers can’t find you, any promotion will just annoy them.

Step 2: Build Your Deeplink

Google supports a deeplink (a link that opens a specific spot inside a tool) that takes readers straight to your site’s entry in the preferences tool. The format is:

https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=example.com

Replace example.com with your own domain. When a reader opens the link, the preferences page should load with your site already searched. They only need to tick it.

Test the link in a normal browser window and on a phone before you share it widely. Make sure it lands on your site, not one with a similar name.

Step 3: Add the Button to Your Site

Google offers an official “Add as a preferred source on Google” button as a download in Publisher Center. Wrap the image in your deeplink. Put it where readers already take action, like next to social follow buttons or newsletter sign-ups.

A simple version looks like this:

<a href="https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=example.com" rel="noopener">
  <img src="/images/google-preferred-source.png"
       alt="Add as a preferred source on Google"
       width="200" height="56">
</a>

Use clear alt text so the button works for people using screen readers. Set the width and height so the page doesn’t jump around when the image loads.

Good spots for the button include:

• Right under the headline or byline of news articles.
• At the end of articles, next to “follow us” links.
• In the site footer or sidebar on every page.
• On your “About” or “Follow us” page.

Don’t place it where it pushes the main content down or breaks up reading. My rule of thumb: one clear spot per page works better than three buttons fighting for attention. If I had to pick just one, I’d go with the end of the article, where engaged readers finish.

Step 4: Promote the Link Off Your Site

The deeplink works anywhere you can paste a URL. Google itself suggests using it in social posts and promotions. Some practical places:

• Email newsletters: a short line like “See more of our coverage in Google Search: add us as a preferred source” with the link.
• Social profiles: add it to your link-in-bio page or pin a post that explains the feature.
• Breaking news posts: when you’re first with a story, remind followers they can get your coverage first in Google too.
• Podcasts and videos: say it out loud and put the link in show notes or descriptions.

Step 5: Explain the Benefit in Plain Words

Most readers have never heard of Preferred Sources. A button on its own often gets ignored. One sentence of context helps a lot.

For example: “Choose us as a preferred source and our stories will show up more often when you search Google for news.” Keep it about what the reader gets, not what you get.

Step 6: Track What You Can

Google hasn’t announced a report that shows how many people picked your site. You can still track the actions you control:

1. Add UTM tags (small labels added to a link so analytics can tell where a click came from) or use your link shortener to count clicks on the deeplink from newsletters and social posts.
2. Set up an analytics event for clicks on the on-site button.
3. Watch Top Stories and news-related searches in Search Console over the next few weeks. Our guide to Search Console’s weekly and monthly views shows how to spot trends without daily noise.

Be careful with any change in clicks. Many things affect news traffic, including the news cycle itself. You won’t be able to credit every change to this feature.

Limits and Things It Won’t Do

Preferred Sources is useful, but it’s easy to expect too much from it. Keep these limits in mind.

It Only Affects Top Stories

The setting applies to Top Stories and the “From your sources” section on news searches. Google hasn’t said it changes your positions in normal web results.

It Only Affects the People Who Chose You

This is personalisation. If 2,000 readers pick your site, those 2,000 people may see more of you. Everyone else sees Top Stories as usual.

It Doesn’t Promise a Spot

Google says chosen sites appear “more often”, not always. If you haven’t published anything for a search, there’s nothing to show. A preferred source with no fresh coverage of a story won’t show up for it.

The Language Rollout Isn’t Finished

As of early January 2026, the feature is live for users in the US and India, and for English-language users worldwide. Google has said all other supported languages will follow early this year. It hasn’t given an exact date.

If most of your readers search Google in another language, keep your button and message ready. But expect fewer sign-ups until that language is supported.

It Won’t Fix Weak Content

People choose sources they already value. If your coverage is thin, slow or copied, asking readers to pick you won’t get far. Honestly, I think this feature mostly rewards publishers who have already earned trust.

Don’t Pressure or Trick Readers

Avoid pop-ups that block content until someone clicks. Avoid misleading labels, and don’t offer rewards for picking you. Keep the request honest and optional. Readers who choose you freely are the ones who will actually click your stories.

Preferred Sources and Other Google Publisher Features

The December 2025 announcement included a related feature you should know about. Google said it would start highlighting links from news sites a user pays to subscribe to. These get priority and show in their own carousel (a row of cards you can scroll sideways).

That feature is coming to the Gemini app first, “in the coming weeks”. AI Overviews and AI Mode follow later. It’s separate from Preferred Sources. One is based on paid subscriptions. The other is a free choice any searcher can make.

If you sell subscriptions, keep an eye on both. If you don’t, Preferred Sources is the one you can act on now.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Linking to the wrong domain. If your site moved from www to non-www, or you use a subdomain for news, test which version shows up in the tool and link to that. This is the mistake I see most often after site moves.
• Hiding the button. A tiny icon buried in the footer won’t get clicks. Put it where engaged readers finish an article.
• Adding the button with no explanation. One line of context makes people far more likely to act.
• Expecting instant traffic. Choices build slowly as readers opt in. Think months, not days.
• Pushing it on evergreen-only sites. If you never show in Top Stories, the feature has little to offer you.

Is Google Preferred Sources Worth Your Time?

For news publishers, local outlets and active niche blogs, I’d say yes. Setting up the deeplink and button takes under an hour. After that, the main work is mentioning it in channels you already use.

For businesses without timely content, it’s low priority. You’d get more from improving your main pages, your local presence and your content quality.

There is a bigger lesson here too. Google is giving more weight to signals that come straight from users. In my experience, a loyal audience that actively chooses you is becoming a real asset in search, not just a nice extra.

Conclusion

Google Preferred Sources lets readers choose the sites they want to see more of in Top Stories. Since December 2025 it has been reaching English-language users around the world. You can’t opt yourself in, but you can make it easy for readers. Check your site shows up in the tool, share your deeplink, add the button where engaged readers will see it, and explain the benefit in one plain sentence.

Your next step: check your site in the preferences tool today, then add the link to your next newsletter. Once that’s done, add audience-building to your wider plan using our 2026 SEO roadmap.