Opace Preferred Source Button & Analytics for Google

Description

Need to audit a live implementation first? Install the free Preferred Source Checker for Chrome to check eligibility, the publisher SDK, button rendering and the fallback link.

Add Google’s hosted Preferred Sources popup button to a WordPress site. Readers can choose a source in Google’s own flow without leaving the page. Custom button presets use Google’s direct preferences link if the script cannot load; the native style includes a no-JavaScript fallback.

Google Preferred Sources for WordPress

Google Preferred Sources is a reader choice, not a site-wide ranking factor. Google says selected fresh, relevant content may appear more often in Top Stories and receive a preferred badge in AI Overviews and AI Mode. No traffic, AI citation or visibility is guaranteed. See publisher guidance and click-through finding.

Add as Preferred Source with a Preferred Source Button

Give readers a way to add your publication as a Preferred Source in Google’s popup. Show a Preferred Source Button in an article, footer, widget or floating banner; custom presets use a direct-link fallback if the script cannot load.

Preferred Source Button placement and controls

• Place the button with the Gutenberg block, [opace_preferred_source], [opace_preferred_source_button] or [opsrc_button] shortcode, classic widget, floating banner, footer, after the first H2 or at the end of content.
• Use Smart placement to rotate five supported positions, then favour the highest measured click-through rate with continued exploration. It measures clicks, not completed additions.
• Show a banner immediately, after scroll depth or delay, or on desktop exit intent. Include returning-visitor and post-click or dismissal suppression controls.
• Choose Google’s native button or custom Google-colours and neutral presets, with light, dark and language settings.

Analytics, eligibility and consent

• Record anonymous aggregate impressions, clicks and click-through rate for 30 or 90 days, with a per-placement table. Optional GA4/dataLayer events record clicks only.
• Check whether the WordPress address is a domain or subdomain. Google has no eligibility API, so the plugin links to its preferences tool for the owner to check manually. Subdirectories are not eligible.
• Enable GDPR two-click mode to defer the Google script until a reader agrees. Declining uses the direct preferences link.
• Use network activation-safe defaults, per-site settings, optional network settings locking and a documented white-label filter for agency installations.

External services and privacy

The plugin loads Google’s publisher.js from news.google.com only on pages where a button or banner renders, so Google’s popup can open. The plugin itself sends no personal data to Google. A browser request to Google may involve IP address and browser data under Google’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

The fallback link and eligibility panel point to google.com/preferences/source but make no automatic request. The two-click mode prevents a Google request until the reader agrees. Plugin analytics are anonymous aggregate counts in the WordPress database. Optional GA4/dataLayer events send placement, style and popup-or-deeplink mode to an existing setup; the plugin does not load GA4. Browser local storage supports consent, banner suppression and returning-visitor behaviour. A short-lived transient based on an anonymised IP hash rate-limits public analytics events.

Measurement limit

Google’s SDK has no completion callback, promise or event. Analytics record impressions and clicks on the trigger, never confirmed Preferred Source additions, conversions, rankings or visibility results.

Related Preferred Sources tools

• Preferred Sources suite hub
• Eligibility checker
• Button and code generator
• Preferred Sources framework packages for React, Vue, Svelte and Astro
• Install the Preferred Source Checker Chrome extension or inspect its source
• Opace SEO services
• Opace Digital Agency on GitHub

Independently developed by Opace Digital Agency and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Google.