Google Lets Readers Boost Their Favorite News Sites

Google just gave readers a simple way to help their favorite news sites survive in the age of AI search.

The tech giant announced Thursday that any publisher can now add a "Preferred Sources" button to their website. When readers click it, that site gets highlighted more often across Google Search, Discover, and Google News.

The timing matters. AI powered search features have been crushing traffic to news websites over the past year. Instead of clicking through to read full articles, people increasingly get their answers directly from AI summaries.

Google first introduced Preferred Sources in May for its AI experiences, including AI Mode and AI Overviews. Since then, people have marked over 345,000 unique sources as favorites. Now the company is making it easier by letting publishers embed the button directly on their own sites.

The impact could be significant. Google's studies show that people are twice as likely to click through to a preferred source when one appears in their results. For traffic dependent publishers struggling with AI driven losses, that doubling effect offers real hope.

Readers can also visit Google's source preferences page to search for publishers by name and add them manually. The feature works across all of Google's platforms where people consume news and information.

The Bright Side

This marks a rare moment where a tech giant is actually giving users and publishers more control instead of less. While AI continues reshaping how we find information online, Google is building tools that let people actively support the journalism they value.

The company isn't stopping there. Android users will soon be able to customize their Discover feed using natural language commands. Just tap the three dot menu and tell Google what topics you want more or less of in your own words. The feed adjusts in real time.

Google News app users on Android will also get to personalize their daily audio briefings with similar AI powered controls.

These changes follow a growing trend across social media where platforms are finally letting users tune their own algorithms. The difference here is that Google's approach directly connects reader preferences to publisher survival.

For news organizations watching their traffic evaporate to AI summaries, a button that doubles click through rates isn't just helpful, it's a lifeline.