Your regulars already trust you. Google now lets them say so.
When a customer adds your site as a Preferred Source, Google shows your content with a "preferred" label in AI Overviews and AI Mode for that customer, and your site is more likely to show up in Top Stories for them. Google says people are twice as likely to click through to a site they've picked.
Preferred Source is a Google Search setting where people choose the sites they want to see more of. AI Overviews is the AI summary at the top of some searches. AI Mode is Google's chat-style search.
This is the plain version. Google's own guide, written for web developers, is here: Help your readers find your site through preferred sources in Google Search.
What you do
1Check that your site can be picked.
Go to google.com/preferences/source and type your website's address in the search box. If your site comes up, you're eligible.
If it doesn't, check these three things:
- Your site has its own address.
yourbusiness.comandshop.yourbusiness.comwork. A section likeyourbusiness.com/blogdoes not. - You post new content regularly. Google says sites that aren't updated regularly may not be available. If that's the snag, ask Athena how to keep your site fresh.
- You haven't turned off Google's AI features for your site. This matters for AI Overviews and AI Mode only. It's on unless someone switched it off. If nobody manages Search Console for your site, you can skip this check. To check, open Google Search Console, go to Settings > Search generative AI and make sure "Include" is selected.
2Make your link.
Copy this address and replace yourbusiness.com with your own domain:
https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=yourbusiness.com
That's your link. It opens Google's settings page with your site already looked up.
3Test it.
Open the link on your phone. Your site should be at the top, ready to tick.
4Put the link where your customers already are.
Google suggests social posts, email newsletters and promotions. Copy-ready messages are below.
5Optional: add Google's button to your website.
Google offers an "Add to Preferred Sources" button for your site. A visitor clicks it, adds you, and stays on your page. Send these two lines to whoever looks after your website:
<script async src="https://news.google.com/swg/js/v1/publisher.js"></script>
<div google-add-preferred-source-btn></div>
If you'd rather use a badge or image, Google offers official badge graphics you can download from its guide (linked above), and you can link the badge to your link from step 2.
What your customer does
With your link (easiest):
- Tap the link you sent.
- Tick the checkbox next to your business.
That's it. Your customer can see everything they've picked under Your sources at the bottom of the same screen.
Without your link:
- Go to google.com or open the Google app.
- At the top right, tap your profile picture or initial.
- Tap Search personalization, then Source preferences.
- Search for your business's website.
- Tick the checkbox.
To remove a source later, they untick the same box.
Copy-ready messages
Replace the parts in [brackets].
Subject: A quick favor on Google Hi [First name], If you like [Your Business], you can tell Google. Tap this link and tick the box next to our name: [your link] Then, when we show up in Google's AI answers, Google can mark us "preferred" for you. Thanks, [Your name]
Hi, it's [Your Business]. Want to see more of our updates when you search Google? Tap here and tick the box: [your link]
Like what we post? Tap here and tick the box, and you're more likely to see us when you search Google: [your link]
Send that link this week and let your regulars do the talking. Smooth.
Google's full guide for site owners: Help your readers find your site through preferred sources in Google Search