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Google gives publishers a new way to fight AI-driven traffic losses
AppsThursday, August 20, 2026 at 08:01 PM

Google gives publishers a new way to fight AI-driven traffic losses

Source: TechCrunch AI
Curated Summary

Google is rolling out a new 'Preferred Sources' button for publishers to embed on their websites, letting readers mark favorite sources to be highlighted more often in Google Search, Discover, and Google News.

The feature expands on an earlier May launch of Preferred Sources in AI Mode and AI Overviews, and Google reports over 345,000 unique sources already selected.

Publishers can benefit as users are twice as likely to click through preferred sources, helping offset traffic losses caused by AI-powered search features.

Google is also introducing natural-language customization for Discover feeds and audio daily briefings in the Google News app for Android users.

This move reflects a broader industry trend of using AI to give users more control over content recommendations.

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via TechCrunch AI

#google#publishers#ai-search#discover#ai-overviews

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