Google launches ‘Preferred Sources’ for users to personalize news sources in search results
The goal is to enable users to prioritize and customize how their favorite sites appear in Search
Google is rolling out a new Search feature called Preferred Sources, which allows users to choose their favorite websites to appear more often in the “Top stories” section. In June, Google began testing preferred sources with Google Labs users. Now, the company is rolling out the feature to users in the US and India.
According to Google, Preferred Sources will give users more control over the news they see in Search. Users can prioritize specific outlets, such as a local newspaper, a niche sports blog, or a well-known news brand, so those sources appear more prominently in search results.
Duncan Osborn, Google Product Manager, said the aim is to enable users to “stay up to date on the latest content from the sites you follow and subscribe to.”
How Preferred Sources works in Google Search
To use Preferred Sources, users can search for a topic in Google and click the icon next to the “Top stories” label. From there, they can search for and select their preferred news outlets. Once the selections are made, refreshing the “Top stories” section will display more content from those outlets. Selected sites may also appear in a separate “From your sources” section on the results page.
The company states that there is no limit to the number of sources that can be added, and users will continue to see content from other websites. Selections can be changed or removed at any time. Google will also automatically apply existing selections without requiring a fresh setup for users who tried the feature during the testing phase.