Google Unveils 600,000 Preferred Source Buttons

Google has introduced a 'Preferred Source' button that can be embedded on publisher sites. When readers specify a particular media outlet or site, that source will be displayed more frequently in Google's main news and AI mode. On the 20th, Google announced that the number of sites designated as preferred sources by readers has exceeded 600,000. Publishers can retrieve the button code from Google Search Central documentation and embed it on their sites, allowing readers to return to the page they were reading after clicking the button. The preferred source feature is a personalization tool; when users select the media they want to see more often, that source will be displayed more frequently. Google explained that the likelihood of clicking on preferred sources is doubled, but it did not provide criteria for the increase in clickability or the actual recovery of traffic. However, there are concerns that this feature may not adequately address the traffic decline caused by AI searches. According to analysis by Areps, the average click-through rate for the top page of search terms with AI overviews was 58% lower. A Pew Research Center survey also found that the click-through rate for traditional search results on pages with AI summaries was only 8%. Google claims that AI searches broaden the opportunities for website discovery, stating that there are over 2.5 billion monthly active users of AI overviews. However, publishers are pushing back against issues of content usage and compensation, and in the U.S., Penske Media has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google.

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