Top stories

Who is considered?

According to Google’s Publisher Center help, publishers are automatically considered for Top stories and the News tab. They need to produce high-quality content and comply with the Google News content policies. No application is needed. Google adds that eligible content is not guaranteed to rank. The News tab filters search results to news-related content and shows more articles than a regular search.

Google’s Article structured data guide (last updated September 8, 2026) states there is no markup requirement for Google News features such as Top stories. Article markup can still tell Google more explicitly what a page is about, who the author is and what the title is. A news sitemap, limited to articles from the last two days, is a way to tell Google about new articles.

What are preferred sources?

Users can select sites as preferred sources. Google says content from a selected site is then more likely to appear in Top stories, shown with a “preferred” badge, and can also be highlighted in AI Mode and AI Overviews if the site is included in Search generative AI features in Search Console. Google’s documentation (last updated September 18, 2026) lists the feature as available globally in all languages where Search is available. In February 2026, Search Engine Journal still described it as limited to English-language pages. Only domain-level and subdomain-level sites are eligible, so https://www.example.com/blog cannot be listed. Site owners can add a button with two lines of HTML or use a deeplink so readers can add the site, though neither is required.

Example

For a query about a current event, Google shows several articles from different publishers above or between the regular results, each with title, source and time.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to apply for Top stories? No. Google considers publishers automatically if their content is high quality and follows the Google News content policies.

Last updated: October 8, 2026