Google makes major change bringing ‘preferred sources’ to AI Search

Google is introducing “Preferred Sources” to its AI Search to help users find information they “can trust”.

Google is introducing “Preferred Sources” to its AI Search to help users find information they “can trust”.

The tech giant had recently started allowing users to select Preferred Sources to be given more prominence in search results, and now that is being expended into AI Overviews and AI Mode.

In a blogpost, the company said: “When you come to Search, you’re looking for information you can trust from the sources, websites and creators you value most — and we’re continuing to launch updates to make it easier to explore the web.

“Now we’re bringing your Preferred Sources directly into our AI experiences, and launching new features to help you discover original content, creator insights, and unique perspectives.”

Google noted that the Preferred Sources feature is intended to make it “easy to see more from your favourite websites”.

As of Wednesday (27.05.26), the feature has arrived on AI Overviews and AI Mode, meaning it should be easier to “spot links in AI responses from the sources you’ve already selected”.

They continued: “Just like in Top Stories, your Preferred Sources will be clearly labeled to stand out.”

Google explained that setting up the feature is as simple as visiting source preferences in your Search personalisation settings, noting “any website that publishes fresh content is eligible”.

They added: “We’ve found that people are twice as likely to click through to a Preferred Source, and people have already selected more than 345,000 unique sources.”

Elsewhere, Google is adding a “Highly Cited” badge to more web article links on the search results page.

They explained: “This label makes it easy to spot articles that many other stories have cited, helping you find the primary reporting that other articles are referencing.

“We’re also indicating when an article explicitly references a Highly Cited source. These are simple ways to help you discover influential coverage of topics you’re interested in.”