Google Rolls Out Preferred Sources Update

Google rolled out a new search feature called “Preferred Sources” in the Top Stories section on August 12th, 2025. What started as an experimental Search Labs tool is now a live add-on feature available to all signed-in users, giving them direct control over their news feed.

This new tool allows you to select your preferred news outlets, ensuring your content appears more prominently in the Google Top Stories feed. This update reflects Google’s ongoing effort to address growing concern over the decline in publisher traffic and reduced visibility due to the rise of AI-driven search. Publishers can keep up with Google updates and maximize search engine visibility by investing in affordable digital marketing services to optimize content marketing strategies and enhance online presence.

What Is Google’s Preferred Sources in Top Stories?

Google’s Preferred Sources is a new search setting designed to deliver cleaner, user-aligned feed by prioritizing content from chosen publishers and news organizations. So, when the selected outlets have relevant coverage for news-related queries, Google’s algorithm ensures their content is shown higher in the results.

However, it should be noted that only regularly updated sources will be available for selection. So, if a site isn’t consistently publishing, it might not show up in the list of selectable outlets.

Once selected, these user-chosen sites will be featured under a dedicated “From your sources” section while still surfacing other outlets for a balanced coverage. This hybrid model combines traditional ranking method with individual preferences to ensure personalized news results that provide both diversity and relevance.

According to Google’s Product Manager Duncan Osborn, users can “select as many sources as you like, and we learned from our early Labs users that people really value being able to select a range of sources — with over half of users choosing four or more. If you’ve previously signed up in Labs, your selections will automatically apply and you’ll continue to see more of those sites within Top Stories.”

How to Enable Google Preferred Sources Feature

Here’s how users can enable and access this latest search offering from Google:

1. Search for News-Related Topics

This feature appears only for news results, so when searchers look for current headlines, an icon will appear near the Top Stories header.

2. Tap the Star Icon and Add Sources

When users click on the star icon displayed next to Top Stories, a search box will appear, allowing them to search for preferred sites and add them to their list.

3. Refresh Results

After adding the outlets, users should click the “Reload results” button to view the updated mix.

Changes will immediately influence how stories are displayed, giving users a more tailored and familiar browsing experience.

Why This Update Matters

In the era of AI Overviews and zero-click search experiences, this functionality presents a new opportunity at better organic visibility for publishers. As search evolves, publishers need to follow the given digital marketing strategies to ensure your content remains useful and relevant to the audience:

• Leverage audience trust: Use app notifications, CTAs, or newsletter mentions to alert your readers that they can now select your site as a preferred source in Google Search.
• Prioritize consistency: Site owners should focus on producing timely, high-quality content frequently to ensure your site stays relevant for loyal readers.
• Strengthen brand recognition: Invest in strengthening brand identity and increasing visibility across platforms so users recognize and actively choose your publication as a preferred source.
• Build trust and credibility: Publishers must cover content such as breaking news and trending stories promptly and accurately to maintain audience retention as they prefer trusted outlets.
• Monitor and adapt: Monitor your content strategy with KPI metrics such as click-through rate and organic traffic rate to ensure alignment with your audience and make data-driven improvements.

As publishers may not be well-versed with evolving SEO practices, outsourcing digital marketing services can help implement the right strategies tailored to your website while keeping efforts cost-effective and result-focused.