Preferred Sources Now Global: Google Expands User‑Controlled Publisher Signals to All Search Languages

Google updated its Search Central documentation on April 30 2026 to announce that the Preferred Sources feature is now available in every language supported by Google Search, expanding beyond the previous English‑only limitation. The change follows the February 2026 Discover Core Update, which highlighted source preferences as a factor in Google Discover rankings. Google now offers downloadable Preferred Sources button assets in sixteen languages: Danish, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, and Ukrainian. The documentation clarifies that the feature does not override relevance; publishers must still publish fresh, user‑aligned content to benefit from the signal. Preferred Sources works alongside Google’s ranking systems, allowing users to signal which sites they want to see more often in Top Stories, Discover, and other surfaces.

The update removes the earlier “available globally in English” phrasing, replacing it with language‑neutral language that confirms global applicability. Google also updated supporting text to emphasize that publishers can add Preferred Sources buttons in any supported language, not just those listed. The feature remains a subtle but powerful way for publishers to influence algorithmic ranking through user preference signals, complementing traditional SEO signals. Publishers should now implement the multilingual button assets to capture the expanded audience reach across all supported languages.