Google Preferred Source CTA Plugin for WordPress

#wordpress #drupal #googlenews #agents

import Tabs from '@theme/Tabs';
import TabItem from '@theme/TabItem';

I built a lightweight WordPress plugin that encourages users to follow a site on Google News and set it as a preferred source. When a user follows your publication, they are more likely to see your content in Discover and "For You" feeds. This plugin makes adding that CTA a one-step operation.

Why Google Preferred Sources Matter

When a user "follows" your publication on Google News, they are more likely to see your content in their "For You" feed and Discover. Setting a site as a "Preferred Source" (or just Following) is a strong signal to Google's algorithms that your content is valued by that specific user.

Most publishers know this matters but do not have a clean way to prompt users. This plugin adds a high-conversion CTA that auto-appends to posts or drops in via shortcode.

flowchart LR
    A[WordPress Post] --> B{CTA Placement}
    B -->|Auto-append| C[End of Post CTA Box]
    B -->|Shortcode| D[Inline CTA: google_preferred_source]
    C --> E[User Clicks Follow on Google News]
    D --> E
    E --> F[Google Signals: user values this publisher]
    F --> G[Higher visibility in Discover + For You]

Tech Stack

Component	Technology	Why
Platform	WordPress	Target CMS for publishers
Coding standards	PHPCS (WordPress standard)	Verified compliance
Testing	PHPUnit + Brain Monkey	No WordPress database needed for tests
CTA style	Google-branded, modern UI	Fits naturally into themes
License	MIT	Open for adoption

Features

Admin Settings: Easily configure your Google News Publication URL.
Auto-append CTA: Automatically add a high-conversion call-to-action at the bottom of every post.
Shortcode Support: Use [google_preferred_source] to place the CTA anywhere in your layouts.
Modern UI: A clean, Google-branded CTA box that fits naturally into modern WordPress themes.

💡 Tip: Use the Shortcode for Landing Pages

The auto-append works great for blog posts, but for landing pages or custom layouts, the [google_preferred_source] shortcode gives you precise placement control without touching templates.

⚠️ Caution: Verify Your Google News Publication URL First

If the configured URL is empty or set to #, the CTA renders nothing. Test with a real Google News publication URL before going live, otherwise your readers see... nothing.

```php title="src/GooglePreferredSource.php" showLineNumbers
public function render_shortcode() {
$options = get_option( $this->option_name );
$url = isset( $options['google_news_url'] ) ? $options['google_news_url'] : '#';

if ( empty( $url ) || '#' === $url ) {
// highlight-next-line
return ''; // No URL configured — render nothing
}

// Render the CTA box...
}




</TabItem>
<TabItem value="usage" label="Usage">



```php title="template-example.php"
// Auto-append: enabled by default in plugin settings

// Shortcode: place anywhere in your content
[google_preferred_source]

// Or in a template:
echo do_shortcode('[google_preferred_source]');

Why this matters for Drupal and WordPress

Google's preferred source signals apply to any publisher, regardless of CMS. This WordPress plugin demonstrates the pattern -- auto-append or shortcode CTA -- that Drupal publishers can replicate as a custom block or Twig template snippet. Drupal sites using the Google News sitemap module already have the publication URL; adding a follow CTA is the missing conversion step. For WordPress publishers, this plugin is drop-in ready. For Drupal publishers, the same CTA markup and Google News URL structure work identically -- the only difference is the delivery mechanism (block plugin vs. WordPress shortcode).

Next Steps

Future iterations could include:

Analytics tracking for CTA clicks.
Gutenberg block for more visual placement control.
Integration with Google Search Console API to verify publication status.

Plugin file structure

```text showLineNumbers
wp-google-preferred-source-demo/
wp-google-preferred-source.php
src/
GooglePreferredSource.php
Admin/
Settings.php
assets/
css/
cta-styles.css
tests/
GooglePreferredSourceTest.php





<h2>
  <a name="references" href="#references">
  </a>
  References
</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://github.com/victorstack-ai/wp-google-preferred-source-demo">View Code</a></li>
</ul>

<hr>

<p><em>Looking for an Architect who doesn't just write code, but builds the AI systems that multiply your team's output? View my enterprise CMS case studies at <a href="https://victorjimenezdev.github.io">victorjimenezdev.github.io</a> or connect with me on LinkedIn.</em></p>

<hr>

<p><em>Looking for an Architect who doesn't just write code, but builds the AI systems that multiply your team's output? View my enterprise CMS case studies at <a href="https://victorjimenezdev.github.io">victorjimenezdev.github.io</a> or connect with me on LinkedIn.</em></p>

<p><em>Originally published at <a href="https://victorstack-ai.github.io/agent-blog/wp-google-preferred-source-tool/">VictorStack AI — Drupal &amp; WordPress Reference</a></em></p>

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