Supporting the Web remains central as technology and user behavior continue to evolve. Search and related products now drive billions of clicks to websites every day, creating value for creators, publishers, and businesses of all sizes.
At the same time, people expect faster answers, richer context, and stronger connections with sources they trust. To meet these needs, several new features and partnerships are being introduced to strengthen the open web ecosystem.
One of the most important updates focuses on how people connect with their favorite sources. The Preferred Sources feature in Search is now launching globally. This tool allows users to customize their Top Stories results, showing more content from outlets they value most. Early feedback has been strong, with users selecting nearly 90,000 unique sources, ranging from local blogs to major global publishers.
Preferred Sources does more than personalize results. Data shows that when users choose a preferred source, they click through to that site about twice as often on average. This increased engagement helps publishers build more loyal audiences while giving readers greater control over the information they see. The global rollout will begin with English-language users and expand to more languages early next year.
In addition to preferred sources, there is now easier access to paid news subscriptions. A new feature highlights links from subscribed publications, making trusted content easier to find. These links will be prioritized and displayed in a dedicated carousel, helping users get more value from their subscriptions. This experience will first appear in the Gemini app, with AI Overviews and AI Mode support planned next.
Supporting the Web also means improving how links appear within AI-powered experiences. In Search AI features, the number of inline links in AI Mode is increasing, along with design updates that make them more visible and useful. Contextual introductions are also being added. These short explanations clarify why a particular link may be worth visiting, encouraging deeper exploration of original sources.
Another notable improvement is the expansion of Web Guide. Web Guide uses AI to organize links into clear topic groups, helping people discover content they may not have found otherwise. It is especially useful for complex or open-ended questions, where users want to explore multiple perspectives. Recent updates have made Web Guide twice as fast, and it is now appearing in more searches within the main “All” tab for users participating in the experiment.
Beyond features, partnerships play a critical role in Supporting the Web in the AI era. Over the past few years, more than 3,000 publications and content providers across 50 countries have partnered through commercial agreements. These partnerships involve extended display rights and content delivery through APIs, ensuring that high-quality information remains accessible and sustainable.
A new pilot partnership program is now launching with major news publishers worldwide. Participants include outlets such as Der Spiegel, El País, Folha de S. Paulo, The Guardian, The Times of India, and The Washington Post, among others. The goal is to explore how AI can drive more engaged audiences while maintaining clear attribution and strong publisher visibility.
As part of this pilot, new AI-powered features are being tested in Google News. These include article overviews that provide readers with helpful context before they click through to the full story. For users who prefer audio, experimental news briefings are also being introduced. Importantly, all these features clearly attribute sources and link directly back to original articles.
Real-time information partnerships are expanding as well. Collaborations with organizations such as The Associated Press, Yonhap, Antara, and Estadão are helping deliver timely and reliable updates within the Gemini app. These partnerships enhance accuracy and relevance, especially for breaking news and fast-changing topics.
As information consumption habits continue to shift, Supporting the Web requires constant collaboration with creators and publishers of all sizes. From established global newsrooms to emerging independent voices, feedback from across the ecosystem is shaping how these tools evolve.
The focus remains on helping users discover trustworthy information while ensuring the web continues to thrive. For more insights and updates on how AI and technology are shaping the future of the web, visit ainewstoday.org and stay connected with the latest AI news.
