Google gives publishers a new way to fight AI-driven traffic losses
Google has introduced a 'Preferred Sources' button that allows users to highlight their favorite publishers across Google Search and News. This feature aims to help publishers regain traffic lost to AI-driven search results and provides users with more control over their content feeds.
Why it matters
This represents a significant shift in how tech giants address the tension between AI-generated content and the sustainability of traditional digital journalism.
As AI continues to kill traffic to websites, Google on Thursday threw a bone to those publishers negatively impacted by the change. It's now allowing readers to push a button on a publisher's website to indicate it's a "favorite source" they'd like to see highlighted more often across Google Search, Discover, and Google News.
The tech giant said it's making this new, interactive "Preferred Sources" button available to online publishers to embed on their own websites.
The launch follows Google's rollout of Preferred Sources in May to Google's AI experiences, including AI Mode and AI Overviews. The option was previously available in Top Stories.
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