I am far from a big fan of Google. In fact, I have a well-earned reputation as an outspoken critic. But I believe that my criticism comes from a place of fairness and balance.
If Google is doing something right, I want to highlight that too. This is one such event. I see what Google is trying to do with news and publishing, and I’m almost perfectly aligned with their vision.
Amid the AI frenzy and the flurry of announcements from Google over the past few years, you might have missed the common thread among the search giant’s many new features.
Let’s take a look at some of the shiny new toys Google is giving publishers, and see if you can spot a trend:
1. Popular Sources
First announced in August 2025 and rolled out globally in April 2026, this feature enables users to select specific publishers they want to see more prominently in Google results.
If a user performs a Google search that displays the Top Stories box, and their preferred publisher has a story that matches the query, the user will see that publisher’s story in the Top Stories box.
From May 2026, Popular Sources has also spread across AI Overview and AI Mode, providing more visibility to user-selected publishers across all search areas.
2. Search Profiles
A new toy in the arsenal, Search Profiles are profile pages dedicated to publishers and creators with large followings (over 100,000 followers).
With this profile page, a user can choose to follow a publisher or creator, and more likely to see their content in the Discover feed.
3. Registration Link
By Linking Subscriptions, a publisher can link their subscription data to their subscribers’ Google accounts.
Once connected, the user will see their subscribed content more prominently in Google search results and the Discover feed in the “From your subscription” panel.
This increased visibility of user-subscribed content also applies to AI overview and AI mode.
Not the traffic. Sincerity
The common theme among these new features is clear: Google is building an ecosystem for audience loyalty.
There’s no denying the hard truth: Google traffic is hard to come by. Although Google Zero is a myth, there is very little traffic to go around.
However, despite the upheaval in the publishing industry, AI didn’t cause traffic to collapse – it just accelerated it.
Google has been clear about its purpose for the better part of two decades. You don’t have to rush to click. You don’t have to write content to get traffic. You don’t have to produce cheap journalism to get a few high visits, low engagement on your website.
For the past 20 years, Google has been replacing that kind of cheap content in its search results with direct answers. Sports game information is in Google’s SERPs. Basic facts are provided in the included captions and information panels. Address details are shown in map packets.
There is nothing new about this. The writing has been on the wall all along. Generative AI simply enables Google to put the final nail in the coffin of churnalism. AI acronyms make churnalism obsolete.
These new features that Google is giving us are not meant to replace that traffic. None of these toys will bring us back to that cheap visit.
It will give you more visibility to an already loyal audience. Google is opening up its ecosystem to publishers who already have highly engaged readers.
Characteristics of Engaged Students
Think about the type of user you will set as a favorite source for Top Stories. The type of user that will click that Follow button on your search profile. The type of user that will register on your site.
That’s not a cheap tour. That is not a high click.
Those are the users who buy your product, who want to read your journalism, who want to eat what you publish.
These features are designed for users who have already been sold on your product. They already understand and appreciate your value as a publisher.
The way forward is clearer than ever. Don’t chase clicks – chase loyalty. Don’t produce cheap churnalism – produce high-quality, original content. Don’t use traffic as your main KPI – focus on engagement and retention.
Do all that, and Google is your helper. It will help you to keep your loyal readers. It will give you tools to increase engagement and retention. It will show your content to your subscribers everywhere.
There is absolutely no confusion about what publishers need to do to survive, and thrive, in the age of AI. If you’re not sure, you’re either being willfully ignorant or so focused on your ‘traffic first’ mentality that you probably deserve to lose.
Original Sin
None of this detracts from “original sin,” as AG Sulzberger said in his excellent speech at the 2026 WAN-IFRA World News Media Congress. The AI is built upon the greatest theft ever seen by mankind.
But we can’t put the genie back in its bottle. AI is here to stay. We will have to live with it.
And the survival strategy of the post-AI publishing world has never been more clear.
Additional resources:
This post was originally published on Google News SEO.
Featured image: hmorena/Shutterstock
