Google has introduced a "Preferred Sources" button that publishers can add to their websites, letting readers mark a site as favoured so it appears more often in Google Search results, including Top Stories, AI Overviews and AI Mode. The move formalises a practice some publishers, including Engadget, had already adopted independently, and comes as referral traffic from Google declines due to AI-driven search features, prompting speculation that it is partly an attempt to placate publishers amid regulatory pressure.

The announcement follows scrutiny from the UK's Competition and Markets Authority, after which Google said in June it would let websites opt out of AI-generated search results. Alongside the new button, Google is rolling out a Discover feed update that lets users curate content by chatting with its Gemini assistant, starting on mobile via a three-dot icon on stories, with the feed adjusting and remembering requests. Google is also making its News app audio briefings on Android more customisable, allowing users to pick specific topics with clearer source attribution and links to full articles; all these features may take a few days to appear.