For the past couple of weeks, many of you have noticed a banner at the top of the page that says, "Add as a preferred source on Google. " Let me tell you what that is and why it's there.
There was a time when you could search Google for whatever you were looking for and get a clear list of links to authoritative sources. But changes to Google search in recent months have dramatically impacted how news, reviews and expert sources like DPReview appear in search results, making it much more difficult to find the expert information you're looking for. As a result, DPReview, along with industry-leading sites like Wired and The Verge, is asking our readers to proactively add us as a "preferred source" on Google.
I'll explain why we're making this request, how it works, and why these changes in search matter to those who value online journalism and expert sources of information.
The shifting landscape of Google search
For years, DPReview and other websites have depended on Google search to connect them with readers. In return, Google got the search traffic it desired. This relationship fueled the creation of high-quality web content, allowing readers to search for expert information and find it in search results.
This year, however, Google has rolled out some particularly radical changes. AI-generated summaries and overviews now dominate the top of many search results. This is especially frustrating when those summaries are taken word-for-word from a DPReview article or camera review. But here we are.
While it's not the case here, we've seen Google's AI summaries provide answers that are word-for-word the same as one of our articles, and that first photo of the Nikon Zf in the top row is from our review. Unfortunately, Google rarely sends traffic to us when it uses our content this way.
For readers who make it past the (hopefully correct) AI summaries, it's often necessary to wade through row after row of sponsored posts, links to retail sites, and image grids of "popular products" and where to buy them. Meanwhile, content from platforms like Reddit and YouTube is prioritized over publishers who provide much of the data Google uses to feed its AI summaries.
The net result is that many reputable and information-rich websites have experienced double-digit drops in referral traffic. If you're willing to delve far enough down the page, you'll find them, but the fact is that many people don't.
Enter Google's "Preferred Sources"
In 2025, Google announced a new feature called Preferred Sources, and it's one of those rare tech industry products whose name actually describes what it does: it allows you to tell Google what sources of information you like or trust, so that you see results from those sources more often. At the time of writing, Preferred Sources is available to users in the US or India. Hopefully, Google will expand that to other geographies.
If you add DPReview to your preferred sources, it will appear more prominently on search results pages, and you'll see more DPReview content in your feed on Google Discover.
To make DPReview one of your preferred sources on Google, click this link or the Google icon at the top of the page. In the window that appears, simply click the box to the right of DPReview. That's it!
While you're there, take a moment to search for other trusted websites you rely on and add them to your preferred sources, too.
DPReview (and other publishers) need your help
Adding DPReview and other sites you trust to your preferred sources on Google is more than a nice gesture. It helps ensure that our reviews and other expert insights remain visible in a crowded and increasingly AI and sponsor-driven landscape of search results. This matters to all of us; when publishers like DPReview lose traffic, it limits our ability to invest in and publish product reviews, technical explainers and other important content the camera community relies on.
Ask yourself this: Would you rather read a great technical explainer by Richard Butler, or a Google AI interpretation of it? I know which one I would choose, and your help is vital to ensure we can keep publishing that type of content.
. dpreview.com2025-10-20 23:32
