Google launches preferred sources feature in Top Stories for users

Google rolled out Preferred Sources functionality on August 12, 2025, enabling users to customize which news outlets appear prominently in Top Stories sections. According to the official announcement, "Everyone has their own preferences about where and how they get their news, so we're launching a new feature in Search that lets you customize your experience to see more from your favorite sites within Top Stories."

The feature launches exclusively in English across the United States and India, marking what the company describes as a significant development in search personalization. Users can access the tool by clicking a Cards Star icon positioned to the right of Top Stories headers during news-oriented searches.

Technical implementation requires users to first search for current news topics that trigger Top Stories displays. According to Google's help documentation, the system operates through a seven-step process: users navigate to google.com, search for significant recent events, locate the Cards star icon, search for preferred sources, select checkboxes, reload results, and subsequently see increased visibility from chosen outlets.

The selection mechanism includes automatic quality filtering. According to the documentation, "Sources that aren't updated regularly may not be available," indicating algorithmic restrictions on which outlets users can designate as preferred sources. This technical limitation affects smaller publishers and emerging digital outlets that may publish less frequently.

Publishers gain new audience development tools through the launch. According to Google's guidance, news organizations can "direct your readers to select your publication in 'Preferred sources'" through two primary methods: adding deeplinks to social media posts and including selection buttons on their websites alongside other call-to-action elements.

The deeplink system utilizes specific URL structures. Publishers can create direct links using the format "https://google.com/preferences/source?q=<your website URL>" to enable readers to immediately add their publication to preferred sources lists. However, users outside the United States and India encounter 404 errors when attempting to access these preference pages.

According to Nick Fox, Senior Vice President of Knowledge & Information at Google, early testing revealed significant user engagement. "We learned from our early Labs users that people really value being able to select a range of sources — with over half of users choosing four or more," Fox stated in the August 12 announcement. Users who previously participated in Search Labs experiments automatically receive their existing selections in the live feature.

The system creates hybrid content displays rather than replacing algorithmic selections entirely. According to the technical specifications, preferred sources "appear more frequently in Top Stories or in a dedicated 'From your sources' section on the search results page." Users continue seeing content from other outlets alongside their preferred selections.

Marketing implications extend beyond simple visibility increases. The feature represents a shift toward user-controlled news curation within Google's search ecosystem, potentially affecting how publishers approach audience development strategies. According to industry analysis, success depends on publishers' ability to educate existing readership about the starring functionality rather than relying solely on algorithmic discovery.

The geographic limitation creates significant accessibility barriers. According to testing, users outside the United States and India receive error messages when attempting to access preference settings through publisher deeplinks. The restriction indicates Google's cautious approach to international rollout while gathering performance data from initial markets.

Search behavior data provides context for the feature's potential impact. According to recent research, active American desktop users perform an average of 126 unique Google searches monthly, with news-oriented queries representing a subset of this total volume. Studies show varying search frequency across user segments, suggesting preferred sources may affect different audiences disproportionately.

The launch coincides with broader challenges in news distribution through Google's platforms. According to recent analysis, smaller publishers face structural visibility challenges despite producing original reporting that gains widespread citation from major media outlets. The automated content evaluation systems that determine news eligibility may create barriers for emerging digital publishers seeking inclusion in Top Stories sections.

Technical infrastructure builds on existing Google News systems while introducing user preference layers. The algorithmic approach maintains content diversity requirements while accommodating individual selections. This represents a departure from purely automated news ranking toward hybrid models incorporating user signals.

Industry reactions emphasize strategic implications for audience development. Multiple digital marketing professionals have noted that the feature's effectiveness depends on publishers building direct relationships with readers rather than relying exclusively on search discovery. This shift requires marketing strategies focused on reader retention and engagement beyond traditional SEO approaches.

Publishers can access promotional resources through Google's dedicated help center materials. The company provides downloadable buttons and implementation guidance for encouraging reader participation in the preferred sources system. These resources include technical specifications for deeplink integration and messaging recommendations for reader education campaigns.

The feature's limited geographic availability reflects Google's testing methodology for major search modifications. The United States and India provide diverse market conditions for evaluating user adoption patterns and technical performance before potential expansion to additional regions. Cultural differences in news consumption habits between these markets offer insights into how personalization features perform across different user behaviors.

Content quality requirements remain unchanged despite the preference system introduction. Publishers must continue meeting Google's algorithmic standards for news inclusion regardless of user starring activity. The preferred sources functionality operates as an additional visibility layer rather than bypassing existing content evaluation criteria.

Future expansion possibilities depend on initial market performance data. According to the announcement, the feature represents "just one of the many ways that you can customize your Search experience in order to find the information that is most relevant to you," suggesting Google's broader personalization strategy may include additional customization tools.

The implementation affects different content types variably. Breaking news stories, ongoing event coverage, and recurring topic reporting may benefit differently from user preferences depending on publication frequency and source reliability. Publishers maintaining consistent publishing schedules may see greater advantage from the starring system than irregular content creators.

User interface modifications include clear labeling systems for preferred content. According to technical documentation, selected sources receive visual indicators distinguishing them from standard algorithmic selections while maintaining overall Top Stories format consistency. This approach preserves familiar search result layouts while highlighting personalized content.

The feature launch represents Google's response to increasing competition in news aggregation and AI-powered search alternatives. Industry analysis indicates that artificial intelligence features now reach over 1.5 billion users monthly, potentially affecting traditional news discovery patterns through search results.

Publisher adaptation strategies must account for the feature's technical limitations and geographic restrictions. Organizations seeking to maximize benefit from preferred sources functionality need comprehensive reader education campaigns explaining the selection process and emphasizing the value of direct source preferences over algorithmic discovery alone.

Timeline

• June 26, 2025: Google initially announced Preferred Sources as a Search Labs experiment for English-speaking users in the United States and India
• August 12, 2025: Google officially launched Preferred Sources feature for Top Stories with Nick Fox announcing rollout completion
• August 12, 2025: Company released technical documentation and publisher resources for implementing deeplinks and promotional buttons
• August 13, 2025: Industry professionals began reporting accessibility issues for users outside supported geographic regions
• Ongoing: Users outside US and India continue receiving 404 errors when accessing preference settings through publisher deeplinks

PPC Land explains

Top Stories: Google's news-oriented search result section that appears when the platform detects news-related queries. This feature displays relevant, high-quality, and fresh content from various publishers, serving as a primary gateway for news consumption through search. According to Google's documentation, Top Stories represents one of the most valuable real estate areas in search results, often appearing prominently above traditional organic listings and driving significant traffic to news publishers.

Preferred Sources: The newly launched customization tool that enables users to select favorite news outlets for increased visibility within Top Stories sections. This feature fundamentally changes how news content appears in search results by introducing user preference signals alongside algorithmic ranking factors. The system allows unlimited source selections, with early testing revealing that over half of users choose four or more preferred outlets, indicating strong user demand for personalized news curation.

Cards Star Icon: The visual interface element users click to access preferred sources functionality, positioned to the right of Top Stories headers during news searches. This icon serves as the entry point for the entire customization system, requiring users to actively engage with the interface to modify their news consumption experience. The placement strategy ensures visibility while maintaining the familiar Top Stories layout that users expect from Google search results.

Algorithmic Selection: Google's automated content evaluation system that determines which articles appear in Top Stories based on factors including relevance, prominence, authoritativeness, freshness, location, and language. This traditional approach to news ranking operates independently of user preferences, focusing on content quality and topical relevance. The integration of preferred sources creates a hybrid model where algorithmic standards continue operating alongside user preference signals.

Geographic Restrictions: The limitation of Preferred Sources functionality to English-speaking users in the United States and India, creating accessibility barriers for global audiences. Users outside these regions encounter 404 errors when attempting to access preference settings through publisher deeplinks, indicating Google's cautious approach to international feature rollout. This restriction affects publishers' ability to engage international readership through the preferred sources system.

Publisher Deeplinks: Specialized URLs that enable news organizations to direct readers toward selecting their publication as a preferred source. These links follow the format "https://google.com/preferences/source?q=<website URL>" and provide publishers with direct marketing tools for audience development. However, the geographic restrictions limit deeplink effectiveness to supported markets, creating uneven promotional opportunities across publishers' global audiences.

News Publishers: Media organizations and content creators affected by the Preferred Sources launch, ranging from major outlets to smaller digital publications. These entities must adapt marketing strategies to educate readers about the starring functionality while continuing to meet Google's algorithmic content standards. The feature creates new audience development opportunities but requires proactive reader engagement rather than relying solely on search discovery.

Search Labs: Google's experimental platform where Preferred Sources initially launched before wide release, serving as a testing ground for major search functionality modifications. This environment allows Google to gather user feedback and performance data before implementing features across its entire search ecosystem. The transition from Search Labs to general availability indicates successful testing results and user adoption metrics.

User Interface: The visual and interactive elements that enable preferred sources selection, including the Cards Star icon, source search functionality, checkbox selections, and result reload mechanisms. The interface design maintains familiar Google search aesthetics while introducing new customization capabilities. This approach ensures user adoption by building on existing search behaviors rather than requiring completely new interaction patterns.

Content Quality: The editorial and technical standards that news content must meet for inclusion in Top Stories, regardless of user preference selections. These criteria encompass factors like accuracy, timeliness, authoritativeness, and relevance, ensuring that preferred sources functionality doesn't compromise information quality. Publishers must continue meeting these standards to benefit from increased visibility through user starring, maintaining Google's commitment to reliable news distribution.

Summary

Who: Google launched the feature for English-speaking users in the United States and India, affecting news publishers globally seeking increased search visibility and marketing professionals developing audience strategies.

What: A customization tool called Preferred Sources allows users to star favorite news outlets for increased visibility in Top Stories sections, representing a shift from purely algorithmic news ranking toward user-controlled curation.

When: Official launch occurred August 12, 2025, following initial announcement as a Search Labs experiment on June 26, 2025, with broad availability rolling out over subsequent days.

Where: Feature operates exclusively in English language markets within the United States and India, with technical barriers preventing access for users in other geographic regions who encounter 404 errors.

Why: Google aims to provide more personalized search experiences while maintaining content diversity, responding to user demands for customized news consumption amid increasing competition from AI-powered search alternatives and changing content discovery patterns.