Google Preferred Sources vs. Tailor Your Feed

What Happened

Google has introduced several personalization features for users in Search, AI Mode, and Discover. Recently, Barry Schwartz from Search Engine Roundtable pointed out confusion surrounding three key tools: Preferred Sources, Tailor Your Feed, and Search Profiles. Rajan Patel, a Google engineer, confirmed via X that these features are not interchangeable.

The Three Features

• Preferred Sources – This feature allows users to specify which publishers they prefer to see more prominently in the "Top Stories" carousel and other news-related sections.
• Tailor Your Feed – A tool exclusive to Discover, it enables users to select topics, interests, and even specific stories they wish to see in their Discover feed.
• Search Profiles – This new feature allows publishers to package their content, ensuring that followers of a profile receive a curated stream of that publisher’s articles across both Search and AI Mode.

The Confirmation

In a recent tweet, Rajan Patel stated, "Not the same thing, but two different ways to tailor what you see across search." This statement clarified that while Preferred Sources and Tailor Your Feed serve different purposes, Search Profiles stands as a distinct publisher-focused offering.

Key Details

• Different user interfaces – Users manage Preferred Sources through Google News settings, Tailor Your Feed is found in the Discover app, and Search Profiles is accessed via a publisher dashboard.
• Different scopes – Preferred Sources impacts only the news carousel; Tailor Your Feed shapes the entire Discover feed; Search Profiles affects Search results as well as AI Mode.
• Different audiences – Preferred Sources targets individual users, Tailor Your Feed also caters to individual users, while Search Profiles is designed for publishers and their followers.
• Impact on citations – A business's citation profile can improve significantly if users add the business’s publisher account to a Search Profile, increasing the chances of the business’s content being featured in more curated streams.

What It Means For Your Business

For local and small businesses, grasping these distinctions is essential for maximizing visibility in AI-driven search tools. Here’s why:

1. Targeted reach – Being listed as a Preferred Source increases the likelihood that your news stories will appear more often in the top stories carousel for users interested in your industry or region.

2. Curated content streams – Partnering with a Search Profile ensures your brand’s articles are included in a dedicated stream visible in AI Mode and Search, thereby enhancing your chances of being cited by chat-based AI.

3. Discover engagement – Tailoring your Discover feed can attract traffic from users interested in your niche, potentially leading to increased local inquiries.

Actionable Steps

• Claim and verify your business on Google News and establish Preferred Sources. This process is free and requires only a verified publisher profile.
• Create a Search Profile if you publish regularly. Utilize the publisher dashboard to showcase your most relevant stories and encourage followers to subscribe.
• Optimize Discover content by employing clear headlines, high-quality images, and topic tags that resonate with your target audience.
• Track performance using Google Search Console and the new Search Profiles analytics to identify which stories garner the most citations in AI tools.

By aligning your content strategy across these three tools, you can cultivate a cohesive presence that AI search engines recognize and cite, resulting in greater visibility for your local business.

FAQs

• Q: Can I use all three features at once?

A: Yes, they complement each other—Preferred Sources is for news, Tailor Your Feed is for Discover, and Search Profiles provides a publisher-wide stream.

• Q: Will these changes affect my existing citations?

A: They may enhance the frequency of citations in AI search results, but existing citations will remain unchanged.

• Q: How do I measure success?

A: Use Google Search Console, the Search Profiles dashboard, and citation reports from AI search tools to monitor visibility and engagement.