Google adds ‘Preferred Sources’ feature to AI Search for personalised content discovery

The update comes as Google continues to refine how AI-generated search experiences show information, amid growing scrutiny over attribution, visibility for publishers, and trust in AI-generated answers. By allowing users to prioritise trusted sources, the company appears to be positioning the changes as a way to improve transparency and content discovery in AI Search.

Google said any website publishing fresh content can be selected as a preferred source. According to the company, internal data show users are twice as likely to click through to content from a preferred source, while more than 345,000 unique websites have already been selected by users globally. The company also noted that publishers and website owners have been encouraging audiences to mark them as preferred sources, with guidance available through its documentation resources.

How ‘Preferred Sources’ works

The feature can be enabled through search personalisation settings, where users can add websites of their choice to influence the sources that appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google said its existing ranking systems will continue to evaluate factors such as relevance and quality, while Preferred Sources adds an additional layer shaped by user preferences.

According to Google, the feature is part of a broader effort to surface original and high-quality content more effectively across Search. The company said users who prefer reporting from specific publications may see those sources featured more prominently when they are relevant to a query.

New article carousels and ‘Highly Cited’ labels

Alongside Preferred Sources, Google is introducing article carousels for developing topics that provide contextual information alongside links to timely stories and preferred publishers. For searches seeking opinions or community discussions, Search will also surface perspectives from forums and social media in a dedicated carousel.

Google has also expanded its “Highly Cited” labels on search results pages. The badge will appear on web articles that have been widely referenced by other publications, helping users identify original or influential reporting more easily. Search results will additionally indicate when an article explicitly cites a highly referenced source, offering greater context around how information is being sourced and circulated online.

The latest updates are part of Google’s broader push to improve trust and content discovery in AI Search, with the company indicating that more changes are expected in the coming months.

(This article has been curated by Shivani P Menon, who is an intern with The Indian Express)