If you’re wondering how Google decides which news sites people can prioritize in their search source preferences, you’re not alone. Google’s Source Preferences feature gives users a way to tell Google which publications they trust most. When someone sets a source as a favorite, Google is more likely to show stories from that site in the “Top Stories” area of search results. For publishers, being eligible for Source Preferences is an excellent sign that Google sees the site as reliable and authoritative.
What is Google’s Preferred Sources?
Google’s Source Preferences, sometimes called “Preferred Sources,” is a feature that lets users highlight the websites they value most for news. This doesn’t block other sites, but it does give the chosen sources a better chance to appear at the top during news-related searches. This feature currently works for users in select regions like the United States and India.
Why Google’s Source Preferences matter
For site owners, showing up as a selectable source means Google recognizes your website as credible and high-quality. If your site isn’t eligible yet, don’t panic. This feature isn’t something you manually request; Google’s systems automatically determine whether your site qualifies.
How does a website qualify for Google’s Source Preferences?
There isn’t a “submit your site” button for this feature. Instead, Google’s algorithms evaluate websites based on a few important factors:
- Content quality: Publish original, timely, and accurate reporting rather than republishing or heavily summarizing content from elsewhere.
- Transparency and trust: Articles should include author names, bylines, and an About or Contact page with clear details.
- Technical health: Use structured data such as NewsArticle schema, ensure your website is mobile-friendly, and maintain fast loading times.
- Google News presence: Sites often need to appear in Google News first. Consistent publishing and a news-specific XML sitemap submitted in Search Console can help Google discover your articles faster.
How to add your website to Google’s Source Preference
Even though there’s no direct form to submit your site to Source Preferences, you can take steps to improve your chances of being listed:
- Submit to Google News via Publisher Center
- Visit Google News Publisher Center.
- Add your publication details, verify ownership, and organize your content into sections.
- This doesn’t guarantee inclusion in Source Preferences, but it helps Google understand your site.
- Ensure your site meets content policies
- Add author bylines with profiles.
- Include an About page and contact information.
- Follow standard journalism practices: factual reporting, no deceptive headlines, and clear labeling of sponsored posts.
- Fix technical issues
- Implement structured data (NewsArticle schema).
- Use a responsive design for mobile users.
- Improve page speed using tools like PageSpeed Insights.
Adding Google’s Source Preferences banner manually
Although you can’t control whether your site appears in Google’s Source Preferences, you can make it easier for readers to select your publication if it does appear. Google lets users choose their sources via google.com/preferences/source. You can add a small banner to your website linking to that page:
<a href="https://www.google.com/preferences/source" target="_blank" style="display:inline-block;padding:10px 15px;background:#4285f4;color:#fff;text-decoration:none;border-radius:4px;">
Select us as your preferred source on Google
</a>
When placed on your homepage or in an article sidebar, it looks like a simple blue button prompting users to pick your website as a preferred source.
Adding preferences using different CMS platforms
If you want to display a banner like the one above, it’s fairly easy on most content management systems:
- WordPress: Add it in a widget, a custom HTML block in the editor, or your theme footer.
- Wix: Use the Custom Embed widget.
- Squarespace: Add a code block in a page section.
- Shopify: Insert the code in a custom Liquid section or footer.
- Drupal/Joomla: Place the HTML snippet in a block module.
These steps don’t make your site eligible directly, but help users mark your site as preferred if Google has already included it.
Want to check how your website measures up?
If you’re curious whether your site meets Google’s quality standards, running an SEO audit is a good idea. Tools like SEO Action Plan, a Chrome extension, can help you quickly analyze your site for technical issues, structured data, and overall SEO health. Whether you’re a publisher, developer, or business owner, it’s worth seeing where your site stands before aiming to be included in Google’s Source Preferences.
By consistently publishing reliable news, keeping your website technically sound, and making it easy for users to pick you as a preferred source, you’ll improve your chances of being recognized by Google’s systems. And with SEO extensions like SEO Action Plan, you’ll know exactly what needs fixing before Google’s algorithms take notice.
