Google users can choose favourite news sources for search results

Google has introduced a new feature that allows users to prioritise their favourite news sites in search results.

According to an Engadget report on Thursday (20/8), Google is introducing a Preferred Sources button that website managers can install on their sites.

When a reader presses the Preferred Sources button on a news site, that site will be added as a preferred source that is prioritised in Google search results.

After that, articles from the selected media outlet will appear more frequently in Google Search, including in Top Stories, AI Overviews, and AI Mode.

According to Google, Preferred Sources will also direct readers back to the page they were previously on after setting a site as a preferred source.

Although referral traffic from Google to news sources has declined in recent years due to features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, the company’s search engine remains an important source of revenue for many media companies.

In June, Google announced plans to allow websites to opt out of appearing in search results generated using artificial intelligence, following pressure from the UK Competition and Markets Authority.