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Free WordPress plugin · GPLv2+ · v1.1.0

Add as Preferred Source Button, Popup & Analytics for Google

Put Google's official one-click Preferred Sources popup anywhere on your WordPress site, let smart placement find the position that earns clicks, and measure the results without a single invented number.

View on GitHub Check eligibility first
Built by the Opace WordPress development team
  • 5smart positions
  • 5CRO triggers
  • 0invented conversions

The complete kit

One plugin, two free tools, all open.

Everything in the Add as Preferred Source suite works together: check eligibility, generate code for any platform, or let the plugin do it all on WordPress.

How it works

Check. Place. Measure.

Three steps from activation to a button that earns opt-ins, with every claim on the analytics screen measured, not modelled.

01 / Check

Confirm your site qualifies.

The built-in eligibility checker validates your setup and warns if your publication lives in a subdirectory, which Google doesn't allow.

02 / Place

Put the button where readers act.

Block, shortcode, widget, floating banner or auto-placement, or let smart placement rotate five positions and learn.

03 / Measure

See clicks, honestly counted.

Impressions, clicks and CTR per position, plus a GA4 event. Labelled clicks throughout, because Google reports no completions.

The button, popup and deeplink all use only the surface documented in Google's official Preferred Sources documentation.

What's in the plugin

Placement, persuasion and proof.

Every feature exists to earn the reader's opt-in or to report what actually happened. Nothing is padded.

01

Smart placement

Five positions. One learns to win.

Smart placement rotates five content-aware positions, from after your opening insight to the end of the post, and records aggregate impressions and clicks for each. Once a position proves itself, it's served 90% of the time while the remaining 10% keeps testing the field.

  • Learning uses aggregate counts only, never reader profiles.
  • Positions are content-aware, so the button lands beside real paragraphs, not in gaps.
  • Turn it off any time and pin one position manually.
02

Every placement route

Block, shortcodes, widget, banner.

Use the Gutenberg block, the [preferred_source_popup], [preferred_source_button] or [psp_button] shortcodes, a widget, a floating banner or automatic in-content placement.

  • Works in classic and block themes, page builders included via shortcode.
  • A Help & shortcodes screen documents every route inside wp-admin.
03

CRO triggers

Ask at the right moment.

Show the prompt on scroll depth, after a time delay, on exit intent or to returning visitors, and suppress it automatically once a reader has clicked.

  • Triggers combine, so you can ask engaged readers only.
  • Post-click suppression stops the plugin nagging people who already acted.
04

Honest analytics

Impressions, clicks and CTR. That's all.

Per-position statistics and an optional GA4 event per click. Google's SDK has no completion callback, so every figure is labelled as clicks, never conversions.

  • No invented "preferred source counts" anywhere in the interface.
  • Counts are aggregate; no reader-level tracking is stored.
05

Eligibility and consent

Checked before it ships, consented before it loads.

The built-in checker warns when a site can't qualify (subdirectories), and GDPR two-click mode makes the first request to Google happen only after the reader's explicit click.

  • Automatic deeplink fallback keeps the button working when scripts are blocked.
06

Built for networks

Multisite defaults and white-label.

Network administrators set defaults once across a multisite install, and a white-label filter lets agencies present the admin screens under their own name.

NETNetwork defaultsConfigure once, apply across every site in the network WLWhite-label filterRename the admin screens for client-facing installs ✓Plugin CheckPasses the official WordPress Plugin Check with zero errors GPLOpen licenceGPLv2 or later, with the full source public on GitHub

Honest by design

Clicks, never conversions.

The same transparency rules as the rest of the Preferred Sources suite.

  1. 01No completion data exists. Google's SDK reports nothing back when a reader finishes the flow, so the plugin counts clicks and says so on every screen.
  2. 02Documented API only. The button, popup and deeplink use Google's published surface. Nothing proprietary, nothing undocumented.
  3. 03Aggregate counts only. Smart placement learns from totals per position, not from profiles of individual readers.
  4. 04Consent before contact. Two-click mode delays any request to Google until the reader explicitly acts.
  5. 05Fails safely. When Google's script is blocked, readers get the documented deeplink instead of a dead button.
  6. 06No ranking promises. Preferred Sources is per-reader personalisation. The plugin helps you ask for the opt-in; it claims nothing more.

Coming to WordPress.org

Awaiting plugin review. Available from Opace now.

Version 1.1.0 has been submitted to the WordPress.org plugin directory and passes the official Plugin Check with zero errors. Until the listing is approved, download the latest release from GitHub and install it as a standard plugin ZIP. Requires WordPress 6.2+ and PHP 7.4+.

Download from GitHub Prefer code? Use the generator

v1.1.0 submitted to WordPress.org · current public GitHub release v1.0.0 · GPLv2+ · WordPress 6.2+ · PHP 7.4+

WordPress installation
01  Download the release ZIP from GitHub
02  Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
03  Activate, then open Settings → Preferred Source
04  Run the built-in eligibility check
05  Pick a placement, or turn on Smart placement
06  Watch clicks arrive in Analytics

Questions before installing

Placement, privacy and the review queue.

What does the plugin actually add to my site?

Google's official Preferred Sources popup button, rendered by Google's own publisher.js script. When a reader clicks it, Google's popup opens on your page and they can add your site as a preferred source in a couple of clicks. If the script is blocked, the plugin automatically falls back to the documented deeplink to Google's preferences page, so the button never dead-ends.

Where can I place the button?

Anywhere: a Gutenberg block, three shortcodes ([preferred_source_popup], [preferred_source_button] and [psp_button]), a widget, a floating banner, or automatic placement inside your content. Smart placement can also choose the position for you.

What is Smart placement?

An optional mode that rotates five content-aware positions, learns from aggregate click statistics, and then serves the best performer 90% of the time while still testing alternatives with the other 10%. It uses counts, not personal data.

Can it tell me how many readers actually became preferred sources?

No, and neither can anything else: Google's SDK provides no completion callback. The plugin measures impressions, clicks and CTR, and can send a GA4 event per click, and everything in the interface is labelled as clicks, never conversions.

Is my site eligible for Preferred Sources?

Domains and subdomains qualify; subdirectories don't. The plugin includes an eligibility checker that warns about subdirectory setups, and our free online checker gives you the same answer before you install anything.

How does the GDPR two-click mode work?

With two-click mode on, no request is made to Google when the page loads. The reader sees a neutral first button; only after they click it does the plugin load Google's script and show the real popup button, so the Google request happens on explicit interaction.

Does it work on multisite?

Yes. Network administrators can set defaults across the network, and a white-label filter lets agencies rename the admin screens for clients.

When will it be on WordPress.org?

Version 1.1.0 has been submitted and is awaiting the WordPress.org plugin review. It passes the official Plugin Check with zero errors. Until the listing is live, the plugin is available from Opace directly.

Does the button improve my rankings?

No. Preferred Sources is per-reader personalisation, not a ranking signal. Readers who prefer your site see more of it in Top Stories, Discover and AI Overviews, and Google reports they click through roughly twice as often. The plugin's job is making that opt-in easy to ask for.

Created by Opace Digital Agency

Need help with WordPress or visibility?

Opace builds and supports practical WordPress and SEO systems from Birmingham for organisations across the UK and internationally. This plugin comes from that client work.

The no-code route to Preferred Sources

Ask every reader. Count every click.

Before you install Check your domain is the right shape for Preferred Sources. Ten seconds, in your browser, with Google's own tool for the final word. Open the eligibility checker Not on WordPress? Generate the button code for any platform instead. Copy-paste snippets for plain HTML, Elementor, Webflow, Shopify, Astro and React. Open the button generator
Browse all Opace tools

This plugin is independently developed by Opace Digital Agency and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Google. Google and the Google logo are trademarks of Google LLC. Licensed under GPLv2 or later.