Google has announced significant updates to its AI-powered search features, making it easier for users to find content from their preferred websites. The company is integrating its Preferred Sources tool into AI Overviews and AI Mode, ensuring that trusted sites are highlighted in AI-generated search results. This move comes as Google continues to refine its AI search experience, which now includes link carousels and badges for frequently cited articles.

What is Preferred Sources?

Preferred Sources is a personalization feature in Google Search that allows users to select specific websites to appear prominently in the Top Stories section. Initially launched in the United States and India last year, the feature became globally available last month in all languages supported by Google Search. With the rise of AI Overviews and AI Mode, users were seeing fewer Top Stories carousels, reducing the utility of Preferred Sources. Now, the feature is being adapted for the AI era.

How Preferred Sources Works in AI Search

Starting today, Preferred Sources will appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Users can enable the feature by navigating to their Google Search personalization settings, clicking on search preferences, and adding websites by name or URL. Once configured, preferred sources will display a "Preferred" badge in the source list for AI Overviews and AI Mode results. This allows users to quickly identify articles from their chosen publications within the AI-generated summaries.

New Link Carousels and Badges

In addition to Preferred Sources, Google is introducing link carousels in some AI Overviews and AI Mode responses. These carousels will show links to websites, social media posts, or forums when a user searches for a "developing topic." For example, queries about ongoing events or real-time updates will trigger a carousel of timely articles. Preferred Sources will be distinguished within these carousels as well.

Furthermore, Google is adding a "Highly cited" badge to more articles in traditional search results. This badge will appear on articles that have been linked to by other websites, helping users identify frequently referenced content. The badge is intended to complement Preferred Sources by providing an additional signal of authority.

Background and Context

Google's shift toward AI-generated search results began with the introduction of AI Overviews, which summarize search results using large language models. AI Mode, a more advanced version, offers conversational responses. While these features improve efficiency, they have faced criticism for reducing visibility of individual websites. Preferred Sources address this by allowing users to curate their own trusted publications.

The broader context includes ongoing concerns about search quality. Some users feel that Google Search results have declined due to algorithm changes and the dominance of large content aggregators. By integrating Preferred Sources into AI search, Google aims to restore user control and trust. The feature is part of a larger initiative to personalize search results, which includes Discover and other surfaces.

Impact on Publishers and Users

For publishers, being selected as a Preferred Source can drive significant traffic, especially if a user sets them as a favorite. Android Authority, for example, encourages readers to set it as a preferred source. The update ensures that such preferences are respected across AI search surfaces, not just traditional search. For users, it means less time sifting through irrelevant results and more direct access to content from sites they trust.

Google's announcement also highlights the company's commitment to transparency. By showing source lists in AI Overviews and AI Mode, users can verify the information presented. The addition of link carousels for developing topics also helps users stay updated with the latest news, which is often missed by static AI summaries.

Technical Implementation

To set Preferred Sources, users must have a Google account and be signed in. The settings are synchronized across devices, so preferences apply on mobile, desktop, and tablets. The feature currently supports any website, but users should note that it only affects Top Stories and now AI Overviews and AI Mode. Other search sections, such as image or video results, are not impacted.

Google uses a ranking algorithm that takes into account user preferences, but the exact weighting is not disclosed. The company advises that Preferred Sources are not guarantees of appearance; instead, they increase the likelihood of being displayed in the relevant slots. The "Highly cited" badge, on the other hand, is based on a direct count of linking domains.

Comparison with Competitors

Google's integration of Preferred Sources into AI search is unique among major search engines. Bing's AI chatbot, Copilot, does not offer a similar personalization feature. Meanwhile, other AI search tools like Perplexity AI allow manual selection of sources but lack the depth of Google's infrastructure. This gives Google an edge in retaining users who value control over their search experience.

However, the feature is not without limitations. It only applies to English-language queries in some regions, and users must manually configure their preferences. Google may expand the feature to more languages and automatic suggestions in the future, based on user behavior.

Future Directions

Google has not announced if Preferred Sources will be available in other AI search features, such as the conversational search mode or Google Lens. As AI search evolves, the company is likely to refine how preferences influence results. The link carousels are a new addition that may expand to more types of queries beyond developing topics.

The "Highly cited" badge is also expected to appear in more places, possibly alongside video results or in the Knowledge Graph. Google is investing heavily in AI while trying to maintain the integrity of its search ecosystem. Preferred Sources represent a middle ground between algorithmic optimization and user personalization.

For now, users can take advantage of these updates by immediately setting their preferred sources. The process takes only a few minutes and can dramatically improve the relevance of AI-driven search results. As Google continues to roll out updates, the importance of user preferences will only grow.

The company also reminds users that Preferred Sources are separate from Google Discover preferences. Users can set favorites in both services for a consistent experience across Google's ecosystem.

In summary, Google's new integration of Preferred Sources into AI Overviews and AI Mode marks a significant step in making AI search more user-centric. By combining personalization with real-time content carousels and citation badges, Google is addressing common complaints about AI search while maintaining its commitment to authoritative sources. The changes are rolling out globally and are available to all users with a Google account.

Source: Android Authority News