Google Expands Preferred Sources & Spotlighting Subscriptions Worldwide
â–Ľ Summary
– Google is globally launching its “Preferred Sources” feature, which allows users to star their favorite news sources in Top Stories to see more content from them.
– The feature, previously available in the US and India, will reach English users worldwide soon and all supported languages early next year.
– When a user selects a preferred source, Google reports they click through to that site twice as much on average.
– Google also announced “Spotlighting subscriptions,” a new feature that highlights links from a user’s news subscriptions, first in the Gemini app.
– These features present a traffic opportunity for publishers, who can encourage loyal readers to select their site as a preferred source.
Google is expanding its Preferred Sources feature to users around the world, a move that follows its initial launch in the United States and India. Alongside this global rollout, the company introduced a new capability called Spotlighting subscriptions, designed to make content from a user’s paid news memberships more prominent within search results and AI tools. These updates aim to give people greater control over the news they see while helping publishers connect with their most engaged readers.
The Preferred Sources tool allows individuals to mark their favorite news outlets directly within the Top Stories section of Google Search. After a user stars a publication, Google’s algorithms will prioritize showing recent articles from that source when they are relevant to a search query. Robby Stein, Google Search’s Vice President of Product, confirmed the worldwide expansion, noting it will first be available for English-language users globally before extending to all supported languages early next year. He shared that users have already selected a diverse array of nearly 90,000 unique sources, ranging from community blogs to international news organizations. According to Google’s internal data, when someone designates a preferred source, they click through to that site twice as much on average.
Using the feature is straightforward. A small star icon appears next to the Top Stories header in search results. Clicking it opens a menu where users can select which publishers to favor, provided those sites are actively producing fresh content. Once selections are made, Google will surface more of the latest updates from those chosen outlets within Top Stories whenever new, relevant articles are published.
The newly announced Spotlighting subscriptions feature takes personalization a step further by highlighting links from a user’s existing news subscriptions. Google states this makes it simpler to identify content from trusted sources and helps subscribers derive more value from their paid memberships. The system will prioritize these subscription links and display them in a dedicated carousel format. This functionality will first appear in the Gemini app in the coming weeks, with plans to integrate it later into Google Search via AI Overviews and AI Mode.
For publishers and content creators, appearing as a preferred source can be highly valuable, as the Top Stories section is a significant driver of website traffic. Encouraging a loyal audience to star a publication could lead to more consistent visibility in search results. Site owners might consider adding subtle prompts or icons on their websites and in newsletters, informing readers they can select the site as a preferred source directly on Google. These features represent meaningful opportunities for the publishing community to foster reader loyalty and potentially unlock new avenues for traffic and revenue.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
