Innovations in Media: ‘Make us your preferred Google source’

Search-engine optimization has been a challenge for news websites for several decades, ever since Google Page Rank brought the opportunity for more eyeballs to the forefront of web strategy.

In the age of artificial intelligence and Google’s focus on “AI Mode” when prioritizing results, even the smallest of tweaks can pay dividends. 

Several days ago, while visiting Monocle.com, I was presented with this page, encouraging me to add the site — prefilled for your convenience — to my list of “Preferred Sources” on my Google Pixel 9 phone. I frequently use the Pixel’s “swipe right” feature to pull up a feed of top news and topics of interest based on trends in my search history. 

What’s smart about the strategy I saw on the Monocle website is that the site is asking me to deliberately add it as a preferred source, rather than hoping it makes the cut via Google’s algorithms. 

One day later, I was presented with a similar request from The Colorado Sun, explaining that “Google’s new-ish preferred sources feature lets you choose new sources …” 

Should you choose to add such sites to your preferred search, you continue to add to that efficient Google page (screenshot at bottom right), which allows one to easily search for and add other preferred sources. 

Those two prompts are the only ones I’ve come across, but I’m sure hordes of others will follow. The early adopters will gain steam before a sense of fatigue sets in among consumers bombarded with what will soon become a sea of similar requests from websites worldwide asking for their search loyalty. 

Regardless, I applaud Monocle and Colorado Sun for jumping on the opportunity, and marketing directly to their readers. The riches often go to those who react first.