Google Search Console Begins Emailing 'Preferred Source' Selection Data to Publishers
Google has begun sending emails to select site owners displaying data on how many searchers have chosen their websites as a preferred source. The notifications, sent by the Google Search Console team, provide publishers with their first direct look at the metrics behind the "Preferred Sources" feature.
The story was first reported on October 6, 2026, by Search Engine Land. The emails from Google include data marked as current as of October 5, 2026. The subject line of the notification informs site owners that users select their domain as a preferred source, and the message displays "Preferred source selections" alongside the specific number of choices.
Google is currently sending these emails to a limited group of site owners rather than rolling them out to everyone at once. As an example of the data being shared, PPC Land published a screenshot of a Search Console property showing 4,345 selections, though this represents an individual case rather than an average count.
Understanding Preferred Sources
The Preferred Sources feature originally launched in beta in June 2025 and became available in the United States and India in August of that year. Since its initial launch, the program has expanded globally and is available across multiple languages.
The feature allows readers to pin their favorite publications within the Top Stories section of Google Search. Once pinned, Google uses this preference to promote additional content from these selected publications to the user. To encourage publisher participation, Google has claimed that users who select a preferred source are, on average, two times more likely to visit the destination website.
Resolving a Long-Standing Data Gap
Prior to this email campaign, publishers lacked direct insight into these metrics. While they could track how many times users clicked on-site buttons suggesting they add the publisher as a preferred source, they had no way of knowing how many times users actually completed the selection within Google Search.
According to a report by Digiday during the feature's early phase, this lack of transparency caused frustration among publishers. Some suspected that Google was intentionally keeping this data hidden, drawing parallels to how the company handles data regarding the impact of AI Overviews. The new emails address this gap by providing an actual count of preferred source selections rather than a proxy metric.
Encouraging On-Site Button Installation
The emails also serve to drive adoption of Google's native preferred source button, which was released as a JavaScript button on August 20, 2026. The button allows readers to save a publisher as a preferred source with a single click on the publisher's site, syncing the preference across Google Search, Discover, and News.
Before the release of this button, users had to navigate a more complicated process entirely within Google's ecosystem. They had to visit Google's source preferences tool, locate the publication, and make the selection there. The JavaScript button removes these steps, allowing readers to save a source without leaving the publisher's website. Google has also published setup tips to help publishers install this newer button version. Site owners who receive their initial metrics via these new emails may find themselves more motivated to implement the button on their pages.
Feedback on Data Delivery
The Search Console emails also include a brief survey asking site owners whether they want more of this data and if they want to receive the information more regularly.
