Search Profile or Preferred Sources: Choose the Right Tool

If your goal is to let readers choose your website as a preferred source on Google Search, use Preferred Sources. Search profiles are a different feature: they bring together identity information and content from linked platforms. Neither feature lets publishers force Google to show a website for every query or automatically improve its rankings.

Before editing your website, determine which of the following two outcomes you need:

Manage identity and content: check or verify a Search profile; creating a new profile is available only under certain conditions.
Help readers prefer your website: check the domain or subdomain in Preferred Sources, then add a JavaScript button or fallback link.

Distinguish the two tools before you begin

Goal	Tool	What it actually does
Bring together content from a website, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or X	Search profile	A public profile that helps users find the linked identity and content on Google Search or Google Discover
Help readers add a website to their preferred-sources list	Preferred Sources	Users choose the website themselves; content may be highlighted with a “preferred” label in eligible features
Help Google identify the website name and the source of a result	Site name, favicon, and appropriate structured data	Google receives additional signals for generating the site name and identifying the source, but it is not required to use the name you want

A Search profile is not a tool for registering a website with Google News, nor does it directly change content rankings on Google Search. Its main benefit is bringing together your online presence and helping users find your content more easily (according to support.google.com).

Check for an existing Search profile first

Do not create a new profile immediately, even if you have never created one yourself. Google may already have created a profile based on your online presence.

Sign in to the Google Account linked to your brand or creative work.
Open Google Search and search for your brand name, publisher name, or content-account name.
If the results include a Knowledge Panel, select More and then select View Search Profile.
Check the name, profile picture, bio, and each linked account.

If the profile contains an account belonging to another brand, has not been verified, or contains incorrect information, use the verification and editing process instead of creating a second profile.

Create a new Search profile when you meet the requirements

According to the documentation cited in this article, the ability to create a new Search profile is currently available only in the United States. Users in Vietnam or other regions may not see this option even if they have a website and a Google Account.

The stated requirements include:

Be at least 18 years old.
Have at least one platform with a minimum of 10,000 subscribers or followers on YouTube, Instagram, X, or TikTok.
Have content that complies with Google's community policies.
Have a content-platform account to verify your identity and link to the profile.

If you are outside the feature's supported region or do not meet the threshold above, skip the step for creating a new profile. You can still check for an automatically created profile or implement Preferred Sources for your website.

Steps to create a new profile

Open https://profile.google.com/claim in a browser and sign in to the Google Account you want to use to manage the profile.
When Google prompts you, sign in to at least one eligible YouTube, Instagram, X, or TikTok account.
Check the account Google has identified and the suggested accounts.
Select Create Profile.
Review the name, profile picture, bio, and links before making the profile public.

Expected result: the profile displays the correct identity and accounts belonging to the same brand. The profile is not a place to publish posts directly; it brings together content that already exists on linked platforms.

Confirm or edit an existing Search profile

Open https://profile.google.com/claim and sign in to your Google Account.
Sign in to the platform account already linked to the profile.
Complete identity verification if Google requests it.
Review the list of accounts and request removal of any account that does not belong to your brand.
Update the name, bio, links, and featured content in the editing screen.

Google states that a Search profile can be verified by only one Google Account. If you manage multiple brands, keep each identity in a separate profile rather than combining unrelated brands (according to support.google.com).

How to check: after saving, search Google Search for the brand name or handle, open the profile, and compare the profile picture, bio, platforms, and links. If the identity is incorrect, do not continue linking additional accounts; unlink the incorrect account or return to the correct profile.

Check the website in Preferred Sources

Preferred Sources is appropriate when the goal is to let readers choose the website as a preferred source. The tool supports websites at the domain or subdomain, not at the subdirectory level. For example: https://example.com/ and https://news.example.com/ are domain- or subdomain-level addresses; https://example.com/blog is a subdirectory.

For AI Mode and AI Overviews, Google also requires the website to be included in the generative AI features in Search Console (according to Google Search Central). Therefore, a website not appearing in the tool does not necessarily mean that the embed code is faulty.

Open Google's preferred-source selection tool using the link in the Preferred Sources documentation.
Enter the website's exact domain or subdomain; do not enter the URL of an article or subdirectory.
Check whether the website appears in the results list.
Compare the canonical version in use, including https, the prefix www and the subdomain.

Expected result: the website appears under the exact domain or subdomain version that you want readers to choose. If it does not appear, check feature availability and the website's status in Search Console before changing the code.

Add a Preferred Sources button to the website

Before changing the code, back up the file or template configuration you are editing. If you use WordPress, work in a staging environment or through a code-injection tool that you can disable separately; do not edit the theme files directly if you do not know how to restore them.

Option 1: Google-provided JavaScript button

Where to do this: place the script tag in the <head> section of the website, then place the button element in the template or a custom HTML block where you want it to appear.

<script async src="https://news.google.com/swg/js/v1/publisher.js"></script>

Next, place the button element:

<div google-add-preferred-source-btn></div>

To use the dark theme:

<div google-add-preferred-source-btn data-theme="dark"></div>

To specify Vietnamese:

<div google-add-preferred-source-btn data-lang="vi"></div>

Use only one button element where the button needs to appear; change data-theme or data-lang as needed, but do not change the script URL. Save the configuration, then reload the page in a regular browser—not only in the CMS preview.

Expected result: the Preferred Sources button appears where placed and can open Google's source-selection flow. If the button does not appear, open the browser's Developer Tools and check the Console and Network tabs for script-loading errors, Content Security Policy (CSP) issues, or JavaScript optimization plugin conflicts.

Option 2: JavaScript-free fallback link

Use this option when the CMS does not allow scripts to be inserted or when you need to place the link in an email newsletter, article, or social media post. Replace example.com with your actual domain; do not add an article directory:

<a href="https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=example.com">Thêm website vào nguồn ưu tiên</a>

Expected result: the link opens the tool so readers can confirm their choice themselves. The link does not register the website automatically, choose a source on the user’s behalf, or change rankings for every query.

Verify after implementation

Search profile: search for the name or handle, open the profile, and check that the photo, bio, platforms, and links are correct.
Preferred Sources: open the page as a user, select the button or link, and confirm that it opens the correct Google tool.
JavaScript code: check the Console and Network panels; a Content Security Policy (CSP) error, content blocker, or optimization plugin may prevent the script from loading.
Website: check the site name, favicon, publisher name, publication date, author, and contact information on the main pages.

To help Google identify the website name, you can provide signals using structured data WebSite on the home page. This is a suggestion to Google, not a mechanism that forces Google to use the name you want (according to Google Search Central).

Common errors and recovery

Symptom	Cause to check	Safe action
The option to create a Search profile is not available	The feature is not available in your region, or the follower threshold has not been met	Do not create a fake profile; check for an existing profile or use Preferred Sources
Google reports that a profile already exists	The profile was created automatically	Use the verification process, check the linked accounts, and remove any incorrect accounts
The website does not appear	A subdirectory was entered, the wrong domain version was used, or the feature is not yet available	Recheck the domain, subdomain, canonical URL, and Search Console
The button does not appear	The script is blocked by a CSP, content blocker, or optimization plugin	Check the Console and Network panels; temporarily disable recent changes on staging or use the deep link
You want to undo the button insertion	You no longer want to display the source-selection prompt	Delete the element `google-add-preferred-source-btn`, remove the script tag after creating a backup, and reload the page to confirm

Deleting the button or script only reverses its display on your website; it does not necessarily remove a choice that readers have saved themselves in their Google accounts. For Search profiles, do not create a second profile to “overwrite” the first; use the verification, editing, or account-unlinking process instead.

Acceptance checklist

You have determined whether you need to manage an identity or help readers prioritize the website.
You checked for an existing Search profile before creating a new one.
If you created a new profile, you checked the region, age, platform, and follower-threshold requirements.
The website was checked at the domain or subdomain level, not as a subdirectory.
The JavaScript button or deep link opens the correct Preferred Sources tool.
The Search profile does not contain social accounts belonging to another brand.
You created a backup before editing the code and know how to delete the element, remove the script, or restore the previous version.
You understand that user choices and display order still depend on the Google Search system.

In summary, use Search profile to manage linked identity and content; use Preferred Sources to guide readers in choosing the website themselves. These are mechanisms that support source recognition and selection, not tools for forcing visibility or guaranteeing higher rankings.

Reference source

Create a new Search profile— Google Search Help
Claim an existing Search profile— Google Search Help
Guide to Preferred Sources in Google Search for Web Publishers— Google Search Central
Site Names in Google Search— Google Search Central

Search Profile or Preferred Sources: Choose the Right Tool for Your Website