21 August 2026

Google lets publishers add 'Preferred Sources' button to websites

First reported

TechCrunch ran this on 20 August, a day before the next source picked it up.

Google released an embeddable button that readers can click on publisher websites to mark them as favorite sources across Search, Discover, News, and AI Overviews.
People who mark a source as preferred are twice as likely to click through to it when searching, according to Google's research.
Over 345,000 unique sources were already selected through Google's Preferred Sources feature since its May launch in AI products.
Google is also letting readers customize their Discover feed using natural language commands to specify topics they want to see more or less of.

How it was covered

AI BreakfastIndependent editors

Google released a Preferred Sources button that publishers can embed on websites to pin themselves as trusted sources across Search, Discover, Google News, and AI Overviews. The newsletter reports this gives publishers direct control over their visibility in Google's AI-powered products.

Reported by TechCrunch