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Google just launched Preferred Sources in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
The concept? Users can now pick their go-to websites so they appear more often (and clearly labeled) in Google’s AI-generated responses.
With AI Mode now surpassing one billion monthly active users (according to Sundar Pichai at Google I/O 2026), this isn’t a minor feature update — it’s a structural shift in how brands get found.
Let’s take a closer look… 🔍
What Are Preferred Sources (and What Do They Mean for Your Site?)
Google Preferred Sources are a personalization feature that lets users choose the sites they want to see pop up more often in their Google results.
In practice, a Google user selects the websites they trust. Google then gives those sources more visibility when their content is relevant to the user’s search.
Those sites can then be prioritized and labeled in Top Stories (and now in AI Overviews and AI Mode too!).
Why this matters for your brand visibility
As AI-generated answers take up more space in the SERPs, AI Overviews’ impact in Quebec (especially on CTR) is getting impossible to ignore. And in a world where clicks are already harder to earn, being added as a Preferred Source can help protect part of the traffic and web visibility already shifting toward AI Overviews and AI Mode.
In fact, users are twice as likely to click on a Preferred Source than on a standard AI result (according to Google).
⚠️ Important: Preferred Sources do not replace SEO or Generative Engine Optimization. They simply add another layer (user preference).
How Preferred Sources Work in AI Overviews and AI Mode
Preferred Sources already existed in Google, including in Top Stories.
The real change is their arrival in AI Overviews and AI Mode:
- AI Overviews: generated answer blocks at the top of search results
- AI Mode: Google’s conversational search engine, now used by over one billion monthly active users
A user accesses their Preferred Sources settings, adds the sites they trust, and sees those sources clearly labeled in Google’s AI-generated responses.
They can also add a site to their Preferred Sources directly from a dedicated button (if that option is available on the site).
Carousels, badges and preferred sources: Google strengthens its trust signals
Google also introduced new carousels for developing topics and first-hand perspectives, formats where Preferred Sources get extra visibility and “Highly Cited” badges.
As we covered in our Google GEO guide, becoming a source cited by AI starts with becoming a source humans choose.
Google is simply making that trust signal explicit.
How to Become a Trusted Source in Google’s AI Responses
To become a trusted source in Google’s AI responses and be selected as a Preferred Source by users, you first need to give them a reason to choose you through useful, credible and recognizable content.
Here’s how to add your own Preferred Sources in Google:
In practice, you need to:
Create content that can’t come from anywhere else
Original perspective, first-hand experience and proprietary data are what Google’s own guide prioritizes.
If your content could have been written by anyone, it won’t become anyone’s go-to reference. A specialized content writing agency can help you structure that approach.
Optimize without reinventing your strategy
SEO for LLMs follows many of the same fundamentals as traditional search optimization: indexable content, clear structure, direct answers, answer-first content, structured data and visible expertise signals (E-E-A-T).
You do not need to create a separate “AI version” of your content. You just need to structure it intelligently so language models can extract it more easily.
Encourage your audience to add you
If your regular readers or clients add you as a Preferred Source, you gain AI visibility organically. Even a simple newsletter mention can be enough. Don’t forget to add the button to your site! This is still new and underused.
Audit your current AI visibility
A GEO audit identifies your strengths, the topics where you are already being cited, the angles to reinforce to improve your citability in generative engines, and much more.
We’re bringing it up here because if Preferred Sources give users the power to choose their sources, GEO works on the other side of the equation (what Google understands, extracts and cites from your content in its AI responses).
Being Visible in Google’s AI Experiences Also Means Being Chosen by Users
Preferred Sources reinforce the idea that visibility no longer depends only on what Google’s algorithm (and its AI systems) decides to cite.
It also depends on the sources users choose to bring forward themselves… better make sure you’re one of them! 😉
👉 Looking to assess and improve your brand’s visibility in Google’s AI responses? Reach out to our Digital Marketing Agency in Montreal for a free assessment!
