Google is giving publishers a new interactive tool to counter AI-driven traffic losses: a “Preferred Sources” button that publishers can embed on their own websites. When a reader clicks the button, they indicate that the site is a favorite source they would like to see highlighted more often across Google Search, Discover, and Google News. The launch follows Google‘s rollout of Preferred Sources in May to AI experiences including AI Mode and AI Overviews, after the option had previously appeared in Top Stories.

The feature is designed to make it easier for readers to find links from sites they know and trust when they are searching or using Google‘s AI to learn about a topic or read the latest news. Google noted that, as of May’s launch, people across the web had already selected over 345,000 unique sources through this method. Readers can also add a favorite publisher by visiting Google‘s source preferences page and searching for a publisher by name or website.

Google said becoming a preferred source can drive more traffic to publishers’ websites. In earlier studies, Google found that people are twice as likely to click through to a preferred source when available. The company is offering these tools to address the damage that the rapid growth of AI-powered search features has done to traffic-dependent publishing businesses.

Alongside the button, Google said readers will soon be able to customize their Discover feed in Google‘s app using natural language commands. A reader can tap any three-dot menu in the feed and tell Google what topics they want to see more or less of, allowing Google to refine the feed in real time. Android users will also be able to customize audio briefings in the Google News app. This is part of a broader industry move in which social media apps have launched user-controlled algorithms for recommending content.