Google introduces new content customization and preferred source features

Google is rolling out a series of updates designed to give users more direct control over their digital content experience across Search, Discover, and Google News. A central feature is the “Preferred Sources” button, which allows users and publishers to designate specific websites as favorites. This ensures that marked publishers appear more frequently in “Top Stories,” AI Overviews, and search results. This move is seen as a way to help media outlets recover web traffic that has been impacted by the rise of generative AI summaries.

In the Google Discover feed, users can now use a conversational interface powered by the Gemini chatbot to describe the specific topics and types of content they wish to see. This allows for real-time adjustments to the feed based on user preferences. Additionally, the Google News app on Android is receiving updates that allow users to customize their daily audio news summaries by selecting specific topics and preferred sources.

The rollout of these features is beginning in the United States, with a gradual global deployment expected to follow.