Google's has unveiled a neat new feature allowing users to customize search and show sites you trust — how to use preferred sources

In this photo illustration, A woman browses the Google website on her laptop, which has the search engine technology — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Google has unveiled a new tool that will allow you to get even closer to FourFourTwo and your other favorite websites. So, let's take a look at Google's "Preferred Sources" tool.

Preferred Sources enables users to get the latest and best news from preferred outlets. Not only will Google prioritize 'Preferred Sources' in your "Top Stories" results, but it also offers a brand-new 'From Your Sources' box that specifically handpicks content from the publishers that you, the reader, trust.

Whilst it may seem complicated, choosing your Preferred Sources is as easy as one, two, three. Allow us to walk you through the process.

1. Look for the star icon

Search for a news topic and looks for the icon next to the Top Stories header, if it's there, that means the Preferred Sources feature is available for this query.

The star icon only appears on searches that generate news results, so you won't see it for general searches like "how to watch EPL." Currently rolling out in the U.S. and India, users in other regions may not see this feature yet.

2. Search for and add your favorite news sources

Click the star icon to open the preferred sources selection screen. You'll see a search box where you can type publication names you want to prioritize.

Type "FourFourTwo" to add us, you can also search for other trusted sites you read regularly.

3. Hit refresh results to see content

After adding preferred sources, click "Reload results" to see the updated Top Stories section. From now on, your selected preferred sources will appear more often in the Top Stories box when they have relevant content, enabling you to curate your news experience and see more content from the sites you follow.

The more sources you add, the more variety you'll see from trusted publications rather than unfamiliar news sites.

Experiment by searching for the same topic again to see how results have changed now that your preferences are influencing what appears.

4. Other ways to select preferred sources

Secondary option — Secondary method (Image credit: Google)

A secondary method that allows you to manoeuvre directly through your search settings is to visit Google.com/preferences/source and type in the URL of your news website before checking the box next to the website's name, saving the selection, and returning to Google Search.

No matter which method you choose, one thing's for sure: if you want to stay up to date with the latest news from your favorite outlets, using Google's Preferred Sources tool is a good step.

After getting his big breakthrough as the co-founder of the football analytics website Breaking The Lines, Zachary Lowy has been able to tap into his footballing expertise for a number of esteemed outlets like ESPN, FotMob, The Times, The Independent and Urban Pitch. Since joining FourFourTwo as a freelancer in 2025, Lowy has been able to cover a wide range of topics from analyzing the sweeping changes to the MLS season to interviewing key figures like Asamoah Gyan and Rob Holding. Fluent in Spanish, Portuguese and Italian, Lowy’s versatile skillset has allowed him to traverse a number of different fields when covering major competitions like the FIFA Club World Cup. In addition to football, he is also a seasoned participant of other sports like pickleball, tennis, and volleyball.