Google Preferred Sources: How to Set Yours in 2 Minutes

If you use Google's AI Mode or AI Overviews, there's a quiet but important setting you should know about: Preferred Sources.

Google's Oct 15 update pushes your preferred sources higher in AI-generated answers — you now have real control over which publishers AI Mode and AI Overviews lean on.

What changed

• Inline links inside AI answers now surface your preferred sources higher up
• News carousels in AI Mode highlight content from the publications you've picked
• Google reports that usage of preferred sources has grown 7x — people are actively curating what they see

Set it up in 2 minutes

1. Go to google.com on desktop or mobile
2. Search for a topic with recent news coverage (e.g. "AI news")
3. In the Top stories section, click the customize (stacked-sources) icon next to it
4. Search for the publications you trust
5. Click the + (or star) next to each one to add it as a preferred source
6. Hit Refresh results — you'll see more from those sources in Top stories, and Google's AI features will weight them more heavily too

Why it matters

AI answers are only as good as the sources behind them. Spending two minutes picking your own trusted publishers means fewer generic answers and more depth from outlets you actually read.

Want the full walkthrough with screenshots? Read the complete guide on TechReview.si