Google recently rolled out the Preferred Sources feature for Top Stories. This lets readers choose which publishers they want to see more often in Google’s Top Stories section, as well as in a new “From your sources” tab.
The feature is live in the U.S. and India after testing in Labs. Right now, publishers have no way of knowing how many readers have actually marked them as a preferred source. But that may change soon.
Rajan Patel, Google’s VP of Engineering, responded to an SEO query on X saying: “We’re looking into this.” This suggests Google is considering analytics that would show publishers how many people have chosen them as a preferred source.
Why this matters for publishers:
- Visibility: Knowing how many users prefer your site will help you measure trust and loyalty.
- New engagement metric: It could become like a “subscriber count” within Google Search.
- Data-driven strategy: Publishers could run campaigns to encourage more readers to mark them as a source.
What SEOs and publishers should do now:
- Actively promote the Preferred Sources option. Share guides and links in newsletters and social channels.
- Prepare to use analytics if and when they launch. Treat preference counts as an engagement KPI.
- Align this with broader loyalty strategies such as email subscriptions, branded content, and repeat reader programs.
Preferred Sources is Google’s way of giving readers more control over news discovery. For publishers, it’s also an opportunity to build stronger loyalty. If analytics roll out, they could become an important new benchmark for audience engagement.
With inputs from Barry from Seroundtable.com
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