A reader who finds one useful article should be able to recognize the publication on a later visit. Consistent identity and a clear route back make that relationship easier. Before promoting another discovery feature, check whether the website gives people a dependable reason to remember it.
Reconstructed archive: January 2026. Written in November 2026 using contemporary historical sources. The archive date organizes this series; this text is not a recovered original.
The January 2026 documentation update
On January 30, 2026, Google added preferred sources documentation for website owners. The change helped publishers explain how audiences could find their site as a preferred source. It was a documentation addition, rather than the original launch of the feature.
A present-day return-reader check for publishers
For a regularly updated local, trade or specialist publication, Google's preferred-sources feature can help readers find a publication they already value. It is a reader preference, not a promise of general rankings, Google News eligibility or business inquiries.
- Check the source entry: follow Google's current preferred-sources guide to search for the publication in the source preferences tool. Eligible entries are domains or subdomains, not folders such as example.com/blog. Do not assume a business's blog is available merely because it publishes articles.
- Choose the supported invitation: if the site appears, use the current documented interactive button or its deep-link fallback where JavaScript cannot be used. The reader chooses and confirms the preference. If the site is absent, do not invent an approval process.
- Make the choice clear: label the invitation accurately, such as “Add as preferred source in Google,” without covering the article or implying that it is required to read.
- Test the journey: check the selected publication, mobile layout, keyboard access and return to the article. Declining or using Back should leave the content usable. Test changes to a real account's preferences only with its owner's permission.
Keep a recognizable publication name, a visible publication home and relevant related articles so returning readers have somewhere useful to go. Offer other follow routes only when they actually exist. An invitation click does not prove a preference was completed, and a completed preference does not guarantee every future appearance. Keep those observations separate from returning readership or inquiries.
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Historical source: Google announcement dated 2026-01-30.