Users can now star the publishers they want more of. Even if it’s news-led, it signals where search is going for everyone.
Google has introduced a feature in Search called “Preferred Sources“. It lets people pick the publishers they trust, particularly for news, so those sources show up more often in the Top Stories box.
At first glance, it looks like a news feature. A little star icon and a promise of “more from the outlets you like”. Nothing that screams “B2B marketing strategy”.
But it’s worth paying attention to, because it reveals something important about where search is heading.
Google is adding a preference layer.
For years, search has been framed as neutral. Ask a question, get the best answers. In reality, people have always had favourites. They trust certain brands, certain publications, certain voices. Preferred Sources is Google acknowledging that trust and making it an important input.
This matters in 2026 because search is increasingly mediated by Ai systems that summarise, shortlist, and decide what to cite. When the interface is doing more of the thinking, the sources it leans on matter even more.
So what are the implications for B2B marketing?
The obvious one is for publishers. If we run an industry publication, a blog with a real following, or a membership model, Preferred Sources gives us a new call to action: “Add us to your sources”. See how the BBC got into it here.
Most B2B companies are not usually fighting for Top Stories placement. Our pages are not breaking news. But the signal is still relevant: the battle is shifting from ranking to being chosen. We should treat Preferred Sources as a preview of the next few years. More personalisation. More emphasis on trusted sources. More ways for users to shape what they see.
For B2B marketers, the practical response is not to panic, but to double down on consistent expertise and content that earns repeat attention. If we become one of the sources people actively want more of, we are insulated from a lot of the volatility in modern search.