Google Preferred Sources is a feature that lets signed-in Google users choose specific websites they want to appear more often in their search results
When someone selects your site, your content gets priority placement in Top Stories and a “Preferred” badge – and users are twice as likely to click your results
Not every website qualifies – the feature is designed for sites that publish regular content, not static service pages or online shops
You can check eligibility in 30 seconds using a simple Google URL
Adding a follow button takes about 10 minutes, using a plain text link, Google’s official button, or a free WordPress plugin
Google is changing the way it shows search results.
More and more, what you see on Google is personalised to you – and that includes the articles and news you see when you search.
Google Preferred Sources is part of this shift. It lets users pick the websites they trust and want to see more of, directly from their Google settings.
If your website publishes regular blog posts or articles, this is worth knowing about.
When a reader selects your site as a preferred source, your content gets priority placement in their Google search results. That’s a direct line from your writing to a reader’s Google results page.
According to Google, users are twice as likely to click on results from sites they’ve selected as preferred sources.
This guide explains what Google Preferred Sources is, whether your site qualifies, and exactly how to add a follow button so your readers can choose you in just a few seconds.
Table of Contents
What Is Google Preferred Sources?
Google Preferred Sources is a personalisation feature inside Google Search.
It lets signed-in users choose specific websites they want to appear more often when they search for news and information. Think of it like following a publication on social media – except the follow lives inside Google itself, and it affects what that user sees every time they run a search.
When a user selects your website as a preferred source, your content gets prioritised in Google’s “Top Stories” – the row of news-style results that appears at the top of many search results pages.
Your results also get a “Preferred” badge, making them stand out from everything around them.
Google rolled out the feature globally in April 2026, after an earlier launch in the US. More than 345,000 unique domains have already been selected as preferred sources by users around the world.
Where Does Google Preferred Sources Show Up?
Once a user has selected your site, your content can appear in several places:
- Top Stories carousel – the row of news-style results at the top of many Google searches; your articles get priority placement here, alongside the “Preferred” badge
- AI Overviews – Google’s AI-generated summaries (the answers Google writes above the normal search results); content from preferred sources is highlighted and can appear in a dedicated publisher carousel inside the summary
- AI Mode – Google’s full AI search interface; the same “Preferred” badge applies here too
One notable exception: Google Discover – the personalised content feed on the Google app – is not currently affected by Preferred Sources settings.
Why Does This Matter for Your Website?
Google’s AI summaries are answering more and more search queries directly on the results page.
That means fewer people need to click through to the websites behind those answers. For anyone who runs a site and depends on search traffic, this is a growing challenge.
Google Preferred Sources offers a partial response to this.
When someone selects your site, your content appears more prominently for that user – and Google’s own data shows they’re twice as likely to click your result compared to non-preferred sources. That’s a meaningful difference.
It also builds something more durable than raw traffic.
A reader who selects your site as a preferred source has actively said they trust you. That kind of audience loyalty is hard to achieve through advertising, and it grows over time as more users discover the feature.
To be clear: this won’t transform your traffic figures overnight.
But adding the button to your site is a worthwhile step that could make a real difference as Google’s personalisation tools become more widely adopted.
Does Your Website Qualify?
Not every website is eligible for Google Preferred Sources.
The feature is designed primarily for sites that publish fresh content regularly – blogs, news sites, industry publications.
If your website is mainly a set of service pages or a product catalogue, it’s unlikely to qualify.
The good news is that you can check in about 30 seconds.
Who Is Eligible for Google Preferred Sources?
Your site needs to meet a few conditions.
Google looks for:
- A root domain (like
yoursite.co.uk) or a subdomain (likenews.yoursite.co.uk) – subdirectories such asyoursite.co.uk/blogaren’t eligible on their own; only the root domain can be selected - Regular, fresh content – sites that haven’t published recently are excluded automatically
- NewsArticle schema markup – a type of structured data (a small piece of code added to your site’s pages) that tells Google your content is an article
- Good Core Web Vitals scores – this means your site loads quickly, is mobile-friendly, and doesn’t visually shift around as it loads
- Author bylines with proper bio profiles, plus a clearly written About page and Contact page
- Clear editorial standards – no misleading headlines, and any sponsored content labelled properly
For many small business owners who publish regular blog posts, these requirements are achievable.
If your blog is active and your WordPress site is reasonably well set up, you’ve got a good chance of qualifying.
How Do I Check If My Site Is Eligible?
Google lets you test this directly. Open a browser while signed into your Google account, then visit:
https://google.com/preferences/source?q=yourdomain.co.uk
Replace yourdomain.co.uk with your actual domain.
For example – https://google.com/preferences/source?q=respectexperts.co.uk
If Google recognises your site as eligible, you’ll see your domain name, brand name, and favicon (the small logo that appears in browser tabs) in a window with an active checkbox next to them.
If nothing appears, your site isn’t currently eligible.
There’s no form to fill in and no manual registration process. Google determines eligibility automatically based on how it crawls and understands your site.
How to Add a Preferred Source Button to Your Website
If your site is eligible, the next step is making it easy for readers to select you.
You can do this by adding a button or link that takes visitors directly to Google’s preference tool with your domain already filled in.
This type of link is called a “deep link” – it goes straight to a specific action rather than just a homepage.
You have three options, from a quick copy-paste to a WordPress plugin that handles everything automatically.
How to Add a Simple Preferred Source Link (No Coding Needed)
The deep link format is:https://google.com/preferences/source?q=yourdomain.co.uk
The simplest approach is to add this as a plain text link within an article or on your homepage – something like “Add us as your preferred source on Google.” Just replace yourdomain.co.uk with your actual domain.
If you use WordPress and are comfortable adding an HTML block in the Gutenberg editor (WordPress’s page builder), you can paste the following code to create a styled button. Replace yourdomain.co.uk with your own domain before using it:
html
<a href="https://google.com/preferences/source?q=yourdomain.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="display: inline-block; padding: 10px 15px; background: #4285f4; color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none; border-radius: 4px; font-family: sans-serif; font-weight: 600; font-size: 14px;"> Add us as your preferred source on Google </a>
One important thing to bear in mind: clicking the link opens the Google preferences page, but users still need to actively tick the checkbox next to your domain.
It doesn’t happen automatically.
Always add a short instruction next to the button, for example: “Click below, then tick the blue box next to our domain name.”
How Do I Use Google’s Official Preferred Sources Button?
Google has released official branded button graphics in 16 languages, including English.
Using the official assets gives the button a familiar, Google-branded appearance that many readers will recognise straight away.
You can download the English button assets from the Google Search Central documentation page for Preferred Sources. Once downloaded, upload the image to your site and wrap it in the same deep link URL as above.
This takes a little more effort than a plain text link, but it looks more polished if you want the button to sit alongside other social sharing icons on your article pages.
Here’s what they look like:
Or you could make your own button:
Is There a WordPress Plugin for Google Preferred Sources?
Yes. A free plugin called “Add as Preferred Source on Google” is available in the WordPress plugin directory.
Install it by going to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard and searching for the name.
The plugin adds a banner and inline button to your site automatically.
You can control:
- Where it appears – all pages, posts only, specific pages, or just the homepage
- When it triggers – immediately on page load, after the visitor scrolls a set distance, or after a time delay
- Basic performance data – the plugin tracks impressions, clicks, and dismissals over a 30-day window
For most WordPress users, this is the quickest route. Install, configure, and the button is live across your site without touching any code.
Where Should You Place the Button?
The most effective placement is at the end of your blog posts and articles.
Your reader has just finished something useful – that’s the moment they’re most likely to want to follow you. Placing the preferred source button right there, with a short instruction, is the natural next step.
Beyond your articles, consider these locations:
- Your homepage – a button in the header or sidebar works well
- Your site footer – a persistent footer button appears on every page of your site
- Email newsletters – the deep link works in email just as it does on the web, and newsletter readers are exactly the loyal audience you’re trying to build
- Your email signature – a short text link reaches everyone you email
- Social media posts and profile bios – the link can be shared anywhere
The most important rule is to always pair the button with a clear instruction.
Users must tick a checkbox after clicking – it doesn’t happen automatically. A short note like “Click, then tick the box next to our name” prevents confusion and increases the chance readers complete the process.
What Should You Expect from Google Preferred Sources?
Google Preferred Sources is a long-term audience-building tactic.
It won’t spike your analytics next week, and the returns build gradually rather than suddenly.
What it does is create a layer of loyalty with readers who have actively chosen to follow you – and as Google’s personalisation features become more widely used, that loyalty becomes more valuable.
If your site is eligible and you publish content regularly, adding the button is worth doing.
The potential upside – appearing more prominently in Google results for a growing number of signed-in users – is real, even if the timeline is long.
For sites that don’t currently qualify, the requirements aren’t out of reach.
Publishing regular blog posts, adding proper author profiles, and making sure your site meets Google’s technical standards will all help.
These are worthwhile improvements regardless of Preferred Sources, and addressing them will put you in a stronger position as the feature grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
Google Preferred Sources is a personalisation feature in Google Search that lets signed-in users choose specific websites to appear more often in their results. When a user selects your site, your content gets priority placement in Top Stories and a “Preferred” badge. Users who select you are twice as likely to click your results, according to Google.
To make your site available as a preferred source, you don’t need to register anywhere – Google determines eligibility automatically. Your job is to check that you qualify using the eligibility test URL, then add a follow button or deep link to your site so readers can select you from their Google account settings.
Users can add preferred sources in two ways: via the Google profile menu on the search homepage, under Search Personalisation settings; or by clicking the star icon that appears on the Top Stories module header during a search. Both routes lead to a preference panel where they tick a checkbox next to your domain.
Eligibility is open to domain-level and subdomain-level sites that publish regular, fresh content. You also need NewsArticle schema markup, good Core Web Vitals scores, author bylines, and a proper About and Contact page. Static service sites, e-commerce product pages, and transactional landing pages are generally not eligible.
Visit https://google.com/preferences/source?q=yourdomain.co.uk while signed into your Google account, replacing the domain with your own. If your domain name, brand name, and favicon appear with an active checkbox, you’re eligible. If nothing appears, your site isn’t currently recognised by Google as a qualifying source.
The deep link is a URL that takes users directly to the Google preference panel with your domain pre-filled. The format is: https://google.com/preferences/source?q=yourdomain.co.uk. Use this link in buttons, text links, newsletters, and social posts. Users still need to tick the checkbox after clicking – it doesn’t select automatically.
Yes. The “Add as Preferred Source on Google” plugin is available free in the WordPress plugin directory. It adds a customisable banner and button to your site, with controls for where and when it appears. It also provides 30 days of basic analytics covering impressions, clicks, and dismissals. Install it from Plugins > Add New in your dashboard.
No. There’s no application form or registration process. Google determines eligibility automatically by crawling your site and assessing it against its criteria. If your site meets the requirements, it will appear in the preferences tool. If it doesn’t, there’s nothing to submit – you simply need to improve the site until it qualifies.
Preferred Sources only affects results for the individual users who have selected your site. If a user hasn’t added you as a preferred source, their results are unaffected. It’s a personalisation layer, not a general ranking signal that boosts your position for all searches.
Google provides official branded button assets in 16 languages, but you’re free to use your own button design or a plain text link. The deep link URL is what matters. That said, using Google’s official button may look more familiar to users and could increase the number who complete the selection process.