New Google Feature Lets Users Prioritize Favorite News Sources
Your news consumption is about to get a lot more personal. Google has just launched a powerful new feature that puts you in the driver's seat of your news experience
Your news consumption is about to get a lot more personal. Google has just launched a powerful new feature that puts you in the driver’s seat of your news experience, allowing you to prioritize content from your most trusted sources directly in search results.
What is Google’s Preferred Sources Feature?
Starting today, Google users in the United States and India can access “Preferred Sources”—a revolutionary tool that ensures your favorite news outlets appear more frequently in Top Stories results. This isn’t just another algorithm tweak; it’s Google acknowledging that readers want more control over their information diet.
When you search for trending topics, Google will now:
- Prioritize content from your selected news sources
- Create a dedicated “From your sources” section on search results
- Maintain diversity by still showing other publications alongside your preferences
As Google Product Manager Duncan Osborn explains, the goal is helping users “stay up to date on the latest content from the sites you follow and subscribe to.”
How to Set Up Your Preferred Sources (Step-by-Step)
Getting started is refreshingly simple:
Step 1: Search for any current news topic.
Step 2: Look for the settings icon next to the “Top stories” header.
Step 3: Search for and select your preferred news outlets.
Step 4: Refresh your results to see the new, personalized mix
The best part? You can modify your selections anytime, making this a truly flexible solution for your evolving news preferences.
Why This Matters for News Readers
Personalized Without Being Isolated
Unlike social media echo chambers, Preferred Sources strikes a balance. You’ll see more from sources you trust while still encountering diverse perspectives from other publications. It’s personalization without polarization.
Quality Over Noise
With more than half of early users selecting four or more sources, it’s clear people want variety—but from outlets they actually trust. This feature helps cut through the noise of countless news sources to focus on quality reporting.
The Impact on Publishers and Content Creators
For news organizations, this represents a significant opportunity:
Direct Reader Engagement
Publishers now have a direct pathway to increase visibility among their most loyal readers. When you produce fresh, relevant content, your dedicated audience is more likely to see it.
Retention Becomes Revenue
This feature makes reader loyalty more valuable than ever. Publishers who invest in building strong relationships with their audience—through newsletters, subscriptions, and quality content—will see tangible benefits in search visibility.
A New Marketing Strategy
Smart publishers are already encouraging readers to add them as preferred sources, creating a new dimension to audience development strategies.
What This Means for the Future of Search
Google’s Preferred Sources represents more than just a feature update—it’s a philosophical shift toward user empowerment in information discovery. This move suggests:
- Increased personalization in search results
- Greater emphasis on reader relationships for publishers
- A more nuanced approach to fighting misinformation through user choice rather than algorithmic decisions alone
Getting the Most Out of Preferred Sources
To maximize this feature’s potential:
- Choose diverse sources across different perspectives and specialties
- Regularly update your preferences as your interests evolve
- Don’t over-select—quality over quantity ensures better results
- Stay open to discovering new outlets that appear in regular results
The Bottom Line
Google’s Preferred Sources feature represents a win-win scenario: readers get more control over their news consumption, while quality publishers gain a new avenue to reach their most engaged audiences.
As this feature rolls out more broadly, expect to see publishers investing heavily in audience retention and relationship-building. For readers, it’s an opportunity to take control of your information diet without sacrificing the diversity that makes news consumption valuable.
Ready to customize your news experience? Start by searching for a trending topic and look for that new settings icon next to Top Stories. Your more personalized news feed is just a few clicks away.
