How does a publisher add the Preferred Sources button?

Google's Search Central guide gives three options for the Preferred Sources button. The recommended one is a script tag plus a div, which renders a Google-styled button that localizes itself to the reader's browser language. Advanced JavaScript lets a site use its own assets, and a deeplink such as google.com/preferences/source?q=example.com works when JavaScript is not possible.

Can a blog that lives in a subdirectory be a preferred source?

No. Google's Preferred Sources documentation says only domain-level and subdomain-level sites are eligible, such as example.com or code.example.com. A subdirectory like example.com/blog cannot be selected on its own, so a publication hosted under a path on someone else's domain cannot use this.

Does embedding the button guarantee more traffic?

Google makes no traffic promise for the Preferred Sources button. It says a site a reader has selected is more likely to appear in Top Stories and can be highlighted with a "preferred" badge in AI Mode and AI Overviews for that reader. Google also states the button is optional and not required to appear as a preferred source.

What else did Google announce alongside the button?

The same Google post adds two other personalization changes. In Discover, a three-dot menu lets readers ask for more or less on a topic in their own words, and the feed adjusts. In the Google News app on Android, readers can pick topics for a daily audio briefing that includes source attribution and links to the articles.

Google · 2026-08-20 · major

Google Preferred Sources button — publishers can now embed it on their site

Google now gives publishers an embeddable Preferred Sources button. Readers who click it mark a site as a favorite, so its stories show more often in Top Stories and can carry a "preferred" badge in AI Mode and AI Overviews.

Google illustration for personalized Search, Discover and News

A two-line snippet lets readers pin a publisher as a preferred source across Google Search, Discover and News.

Quick facts

Maker	Google
What's new	Embeddable Preferred Sources button
Setup	Two lines: a script tag plus a div
Where it shows	Top Stories, AI Mode, AI Overviews
Eligible sites	Domains and subdomains only
Sources selected so far	Over 600,000
Required?	No — a site can be preferred without it

What is it?

The Preferred Sources button is now something publishers can put on their own pages, not just a control buried in Google Search. A reader clicks it, the site is added to their preferred sources, and Google sends them straight back to the spot they were reading. Google says people have already selected more than 600,000 unique sources this way.

How does it work?

The standard setup is a script tag and a div; Google renders the button, localizes the label to the browser language, and offers a light or dark theme. Sites that want their own design can drive it through an ES module import or a script callback, and a deeplink to Google's source preferences tool covers pages that cannot run JavaScript. Only domains and subdomains can be registered, not subdirectories.

Why does it matter?

AI answers now sit between search results and the pages behind them, and publishers have had little say in that. A preferred source gets a badge in AI Mode and AI Overviews and a better shot at Top Stories, so the button is a concrete lever a site owner can ship this week instead of waiting for ranking changes.

Who is it for?

publishers and site owners

Frequently asked questions

How does a publisher add the Preferred Sources button?: Google's Search Central guide gives three options for the Preferred Sources button. The recommended one is a script tag plus a div, which renders a Google-styled button that localizes itself to the reader's browser language. Advanced JavaScript lets a site use its own assets, and a deeplink such as google.com/preferences/source?q=example.com works when JavaScript is not possible.
Can a blog that lives in a subdirectory be a preferred source?: No. Google's Preferred Sources documentation says only domain-level and subdomain-level sites are eligible, such as example.com or code.example.com. A subdirectory like example.com/blog cannot be selected on its own, so a publication hosted under a path on someone else's domain cannot use this.
Does embedding the button guarantee more traffic?: Google makes no traffic promise for the Preferred Sources button. It says a site a reader has selected is more likely to appear in Top Stories and can be highlighted with a "preferred" badge in AI Mode and AI Overviews for that reader. Google also states the button is optional and not required to appear as a preferred source.
What else did Google announce alongside the button?: The same Google post adds two other personalization changes. In Discover, a three-dot menu lets readers ask for more or less on a topic in their own words, and the feed adjusts. In the Google News app on Android, readers can pick topics for a daily audio briefing that includes source attribution and links to the articles.

Try it

https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/preferred-sources