Google is expanding Preferred Sources worldwide, following its initial launch in the U.S. and India last August. At the same time, Google introduced Spotlighting subscriptions, a capability that surfaces links from your news subscriptions in Gemini and will soon appear in Google Search via AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Preferred Sources. Preferred Sources allow searchers to “star” publishers in the Top Stories area of Google Search. Google then uses that preference to show more content from those starred outlets. The feature entered beta in June, launched in the U.S. and India in August, and is now being rolled out globally.
Robby Stein, VP of Product, Google Search, said:
- “We’re now launching this feature globally: in the coming days, it will be available for English-language users worldwide, and we’ll roll it out to all supported languages early next year.”
- “People have selected a wide range of preferred sources — nearly 90,000 unique sources, from local blogs to global news outlets.”
Google told me that when users set a preferred source, they end up clicking through to that site about twice as often on average.
How it works. In search results, you tap the star icon to the right of the Top Stories heading. From there, you can pick your preferred sources, as long as those sites are actively publishing new content.
Google will then begin surfacing more recent coverage from your chosen sites in Top Stories “when they have new articles or posts that are relevant to your search,” the company said.
Spotlighting subscriptions. Google also unveiled Spotlighting subscriptions, a new feature that emphasizes links from the publications you pay for or follow, “making it easier to spot content from sources you trust and helping you get more value from your subscriptions.”
- Google will give priority to links from your subscribed outlets and display them in a dedicated carousel.
- The feature will debut in the Gemini app in the coming weeks, with AI Overviews and AI Mode integration arriving afterward.
Why we care. Top Stories can be a significant source of traffic for publishers, so being chosen as a reader’s preferred source can provide a meaningful lift. Consider a subtle way to prompt loyal audiences to star your site—for example, a small reminder icon on your site or in your newsletter explaining that they can mark your publication as a preferred source. Ideally, this helps publishers secure more visibility, traffic, and revenue.