Preferred Sources (Google)
Preferred Sources is a Google Search setting that lets you pick the news sites and other websites you want to see more of. Articles from your picks show up more often in Top Stories, and they carry a Preferred label in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google says any site that publishes fresh content can be picked.
Source: Google, New ways to find your favorite sources and original content in AI Search (May 27, 2026), checked October 29, 2026
What Preferred Sources (Google) means for your business
Google launched it in Top Stories in the US and India in August 2025. It reached English speakers everywhere in December 2025 and every supported language on April 30, 2026. Some SEO writers call it the Preferred Source program.
Each searcher picks for themselves, so it helps with people who already know and read you, not with strangers. Google's guide for site owners says only a whole domain or subdomain can be picked, not a folder like /blog, and a site that has opted out of Google's AI features in Search Console can't show the Preferred label in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Google also offers a button you can add to your pages.
For a business that posts news, guides or updates often, we'd check that your site shows up in Google's source picker, then put Google's button where your regulars already read you, like your newsletter or your latest posts. Google's help page says sites that aren't updated regularly may not be available, so for a business that rarely publishes, we'd leave this one alone.
If you're trying to see how much of your traffic still comes from Google next to the AI tools, our referral traffic figures set the AI side out platform by platform.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. All terms
How AI answers it today
On October 29, 2026, ChatGPT read the phrase as any trusted source in research or news and didn't mention Google. Google's AI Overview named the Google feature and cited Google's help page, an SEO tool blog, an agency blog and a Reddit thread.
Our run through ChatGPT and Google's AI Overview, October 29, 2026. A sample, not what every buyer sees.
Related terms in the platforms
Find out where your brand stands.
Tell us what you're trying to figure out. We'll get back to you within one business day with a time to talk.