Social Signals
Google Search tests “Preferred Sources” for Top Stories
Jun
Google has a new feature it is testing named “Preferred Sources.” This feature lets you star sources within the Top Stories section of Google Search, and then Google will use that information to show more stories from that starred source.
So if you like this site and star it, Google will show more content from this site in your Top Stories section of Google Search.
How it works. First thing, this is a Search Labs feature that you need to opt into. You can opt into it over here, but it 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
What it looks like. Here is a mock up from Google:
Why we care. This is one of the many personalization features Google announced today, most of them are old but this one above is new. If this feature graduates Search Labs, you may want to encourage your loyal audience to star your source, so they can see your content more often within Google Search.
Top Stories can send nice traffic to publishers, so showing up as the preferred source can be a great way to see that traffic.
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