Welcome to the Pulse of the week. Each update this week influences what may appear in Google’s AI responses and why.
Google introduced Preferred Sources to AI Previews and AI Mode, new data examines how personal data changes which brands appear in AI Mode, and Google’s CEO discussed the quality of AI Preview.
This is what matters to you and your work.
Preferred sources in AI previews and AI mode
Google has expanded preferred sources beyond featured articles in regular search results. It is now deployed in AI Previews and AI Mode Responses.
Highlights: Readers choose which sites they want to see more of, and these choices now have a visible label when the site appears in an AI Overview or AI Mode response. Sites can invite their own readers to add them. More than 345,000 sources have been selected so far, up from around 90,000 during the December global rollout.
Why it matters
Favorite Sources status now shapes your link labels in AI Previews, AI Mode, and Top Stories. As search activity shifts to AI answers, this label becomes a clearer viewability signal linked to reader loyalty.
What SEO Professionals Say
Mary Haynesfounder of Marie Haynes Consulting, noted that:
“Google has simply made it so that any website can invite its readers to add them as a preferred source, making it more likely that that site will be seen in AI previews and AI mode.”
Glenn Gabepresident of G-Squared Interactive, called it an important addition for publishers who have built a loyal audience, and highlighted the action it creates:
“As I’ve shared before, make sure your audience knows how to add you as a favorite source. Google even provides instructions on how to add a button that prompts users to add you as a favorite source.”
Geertrui LalemanSenior AI Search Optimization Specialist at Semrush, linked the update to brand recognition:
“Google personalization is now part of AI viewability. With Preferred Sources in AI Previews and AI Mode, users can now choose which websites they trust the most. Google says people are twice as likely to click on a preferred source. What I find interesting is what this means for brand viewability. AI viewability is no longer just about being mentioned or cited. It’s also about becoming a source that people recognize, trust and actively want to see in their results.
Read our full coverage: Google’s Favorite Sources Reach 345,000, Growing in AI Search
Gmail content linked to greater brand visibility in AI mode
iPullRank released a report on how Google’s Personal Intelligence feature changes which brands appear in AI mode. The results indicate that email is the strongest signal.
Highlights: In testing, brands linked to a user’s own data appeared more often in AI mode once personal intelligence was enabled, with Gmail being the strongest signal.
Why it matters
Brands that users interact with via email can influence AI Mode recommendations once Personal Intelligence is active. Figures are approximate; The test used a small sample and measured results, not Google’s internal systems.
What SEO Professionals Say
Jacques Corby-Tuechlifecycle marketing manager at Trade Nation, saw a benefit in Gmail’s results for email teams. “It’s not all doom and gloom for email marketers,” he wrote.
Read our full coverage: Gmail content improves brand visibility in AI mode
Google CEO calls AI preview ‘smarter than it should be’
Pichai discussed the state of AI previews in an interview on The Verge’s Decoder podcast. He said a response from AI Overview was “more opinionated than it should be.”
Highlights: The interview was recorded after Google I/O. Pichai presented the result as room for improvement in how AI insights respond to certain queries.
Why it matters
Subscriptions that count toward Preferred Source status mean your off-platform audience can send a signal that now appears in AI responses. Google is still tweaking the AI previews, through Pichai’s own account, so the summaries above your links may change.
Read our full coverage: Google CEO on AI Previews: ‘More Savvy Than He Should Be’
Theme of the week: AI’s answer is the surface area that counts
Each story this week focuses on Google’s AI responses. Favorite Sources allows readers to choose which sites they want to see in AI previews and AI mode. Personal intelligence displays personal data, especially emails, advancing brands in AI mode. Pichai admitted that these same responses can be more opinionated than they need to be. Earning a place in the AI’s response is one task, and trusting what it says becomes another.
Best stories of the week:
More resources:
Featured image: PeopleImages/Shutterstock
