Preferred Sources Is Not Just for News Publishers (Google's Own Docs Prove It)

E1156: Google Preferred Sources was originally introduced around news publishers, and that is still causing a lot of SEOs to dismiss it. That is a mistake.

I go directly through Google's own documentation and explain why Preferred Sources now appears relevant far beyond traditional news sites.

Google says any website that publishes fresh content is eligible. The feature is available globally in Top Stories and can also influence what users see in AI Mode and AI Overviews. Google Discover documentation also specifically references creator and source preferences.

I also tested SaaS websites, local businesses, and ecommerce sites in Google's Preferred Sources tool. They were eligible.

In this:

- Why people keep saying Preferred Sources is only for news publishers

- What Google's current documentation actually says

- Why SaaS, ecommerce, local, and other commercial websites can be eligible

- How Google does not require a news sitemap, RSS feed, or Google News Publisher Center setup

- Google's statement that any website publishing fresh content is eligible

- Why Google says people are twice as likely to click through to a preferred source

- The significance of more than 345,000 unique sources already being selected