Google Search Console Offers Data on Preferred Source Selections

Image credit: Abondance

Google Search Console began providing website owners with quantitative data on “preferred source selections” this week, indicating how often their sites are chosen by users as a primary content source.

The new reporting offers publishers initial insights into user engagement with a key content visibility feature launched by Google in 2025, which can influence content appearance in Top Stories, AI Overviews, and AI Mode.

Emails sent to site owners detailed the number of preferred source selections their sites had accumulated, with data current as of Oct. 5, 2026, according to reports.

The company also recommended that publishers install a JavaScript button to simplify the process for users to designate a site as a preferred source.

Alexis Rylko, a Google representative, previously stated that preferred sources aim to give users more control over the content they see from publishers they trust.

Barry Schwartz, writing for Search Engine Roundtable, reported that while the preferred sources feature debuted in 2025 in the United States and India, this marks the first instance Google has provided specific quantitative data to publishers.

The emails included a questionnaire, seeking feedback from site owners on potential future reporting formats for preferred sources within the Search Console interface.

This initiative represents an expansion of Google’s efforts to provide publishers with more granular data on how their content performs across various search features, particularly those involving artificial intelligence.

The data is expected to help website owners understand the impact of user preferences on their content’s visibility within Google’s search ecosystem.

Source: Abondance