Google brings Preferred Sources to AI Overviews and AI Mode
Your favorite news sites now prioritized in AI search results—here's how.
Google announced that its Preferred Sources feature now works with AI Overviews and AI Mode, extending the ability to prioritize favorite websites from traditional search into AI-generated responses. Originally launched as a Google Labs experiment last year, Preferred Sources was limited to regular searches, Google Discover, and Google News' Top Stories. Now, when users conduct AI-powered searches, their selected preferred sources will be clearly labeled and appear more prominently within the AI summary and alongside it. This aims to give users greater control over which sites they see in results, especially as AI-generated answers become more common.
The feature is accessible via the Source preferences page, where users sign in with their Google account and add websites by name or URL. Once added, preferred sources may show up in AI responses when relevant, though Google notes they won't always appear — topics must align with published content, and Google prioritizes fresh information. Additionally, for developing news topics, Google will display a carousel of thumbnails with preferred sources highlighted. The update also introduces a "Highly cited" indicator to point users to stories that are frequently referenced by other publications.
- Preferred Sources now works with AI Overviews and AI Mode, not just regular search.
- Users add sources via Google's Source preferences page; selected sites get labeled in AI results.
- New carousel and 'Highly cited' features help surface relevant, trusted stories in AI answers.
Why It Matters
Professionals can now ensure trusted news sources appear in AI search results, reducing misinformation.