After several weeks of testing, Google is rolling out the Preferred Sources feature in the US and India. This feature lets searchers specify which sites they want to see in the Top Stories section of Google Search.
Google announced this feature is now graduating Search Labs beta, specifically in the US and India. Google added that it “is designed to give people more control over their Search experience, by enabling them to select the sites they want to see more of in Top Stories, whether that is a favorite blog and their local news outlet.”
How it works. This is currently only available in English in the U.S. and India.
Then you click the starred icon to the right of the Top Stories header in the search results. After you click the star icon, you will have the option to select your preferred sources, that is if a site is publishing fresh content.
Google will then start to show you more of the latest updates from your selected sites in Top Stories “when they have new articles or posts that are relevant to your search,” Google added
Google added. Google added that “people really value being able to select a range of sources — with over half of users choosing four or more.”
Labs users. If you’ve previously signed up in Labs, your selections will automatically apply and you’ll continue to see more of those sites within Top Stories. You can always change those selections at any time.
Publishers resource. Google also added more details on this in the publisher resource section.
Why we care. Top Stories can send nice traffic to publishers, so showing up as the preferred source can be a great way to see that traffic.
You may want to find an acceptable way to encourage your loyal visitors to select your site as a preferred source.