msos/docs/preferred-sources.md

Google Preferred Sources — status & future to-do

What it is: Google's "Preferred Sources" lets readers mark MSOS as a favourite so we surface more in Top Stories / Discover / News / AI surfaces. Implemented in preferred-source.js (loaded site-wide via tools/seo_inject.py GA_LINES).

Current state (set 2026-08-30)

• ✅ Footer link ("Add us on Google") is LIVE on every page — a subtle text link in .legal-links, using the domain deeplink https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=msosorg.com.
• ⏸️ Hub pill button is DISABLED — addPill() is commented out in preferred-source.js (init() only calls addFooterLink()).

Why the pill is disabled

msosorg.com is not yet a Google "Top Stories" source, so the tool returns "No results" and the button dead-ends. Eligibility requirement (confirmed via Google Search Central): the site must already appear in Top Stories for readers to add it as a preferred source.

▶️ FUTURE TO-DO — re-enable the pill once eligible

1. Check eligibility: search 3–4 of our news topics on Google; if msosorg.com appears in a Top Stories box, we're eligible.
2. To get there: publish timely, original news regularly; keep pages indexed; add/maintain the publication in Google Publisher Center (publishercenter.google.com).
3. Re-enable: in preferred-source.js, restore addPill(); in init() (uncomment it). Pill renders on homepage / News hub / Blog hub, under the H1.
4. CSP: the pill loads Google's SwG library from https://news.google.com. Add it to script-src (and connect-src) in the .htaccess Content-Security-Policy, or publisher.js will be blocked (same class of issue that blocked the Cloudflare beacon until static.cloudflareinsights.com was allowlisted).
5. Verify the deeplink now returns MSOS (no longer "No results").

Related (also shipped 2026-08-30)

• Cookie banner: benefit-led copy + analytics-only consent (consent.js).
• Cloudflare Web Analytics (cookieless, counts everyone) via seo_inject.py.
• Events structured data: endDate/performer/offers in event_schema().