Google Rolls Out Embeddable “Preferred Sources” Button To Help Publishers Facing AI Traffic Declines
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Google has introduced an embeddable button that publishers can place on their websites, letting readers designate them as preferred sources for more prominent display across Google Search, Discover, and Google News. This initiative is a response to complaints that AI-powered search features have cut publisher traffic, and it expands on Google's May launch of Preferred Sources in AI Mode and AI Overviews, which had been limited to Top Stories. According to Google, readers had already selected more than 345,000 unique sources since the feature debuted in May, and prior studies indicated users were twice as likely to click through to a preferred source. The company also announced upcoming options to personalize Discover feeds with natural language commands via a three-dot menu, as well as customizable audio daily briefings for Android users in the Google News app. These changes reflect a broader trend of platforms giving users more control over their algorithms, and Google positions the tools as a way to help offset traffic losses tied to AI search growth.
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