As AI continues to kill traffic to websites, Google on Thursday gave a bone to publishers who will be adversely affected by the change. Readers can now press a button on a publisher’s website to mark them as their “favorite source” to be highlighted more often in Google Search, Discover, and Google News.
The tech giant has announced that online publishers will be able to embed a new interactive “preferred source” button on their websites.
This release follows Google’s introduction of preferred sources in Google’s AI experiences in May, including AI Mode and AI Overview. This option was previously available in Top Stories.
The goal is to make it easier for readers to find links from sites they know and trust when searching for content and interacting with Google’s AI to learn about topics and read the latest news. The company said people on the web had already selected more than 345,000 unique sources this way as of its launch in May.
To add a site as a favorite publisher, visit Google’s Source settings page and search for the publisher by name or website.
Becoming a preferred source can increase traffic to publishers’ websites, Google said. Previous research has found that people are twice as likely to click to access their preferred source if it is available. By providing these additional tools to publishers, Google is trying to soften the damage that the rapid growth of AI-powered search capabilities is having on businesses that rely on traffic.
In addition to the new button, Google said readers will soon be able to customize the Discover feed in the Google app with their own words. To use this feature, readers tap the More menu in their feed and use natural language commands to tell Google which topics they want to see more or less of. This helps Google improve your feed in real time.
The search giant isn’t the only company turning to AI to offer AI-powered feed adjustment tools. In recent months, many top social media apps have introduced user-controlled algorithms that allow users to fine-tune the content they recommend.
In addition to personalizing the Discover feed, Google says Android users will also be able to customize the daily briefing audio in the Google News app.
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