Add BikeGremlin as a Google preferred source

[BikeGremlin]

You've probably noticed the new banner on the top "Add BikeGremlin as a preferred source on Google."

What it does, briefly put: it "whitelists" BikeGremlin in your search results. Lika a "Follow/Subscribe" button that works directly inside Google search. By adding a website as a Preferred Source, you are explicitly telling Google: “I trust this specific website; if there is a page on that site that matches/answers my search terms, please show it in the search results (instead of just giving me huge brands and Reddit).”

I wrote an article explaining it in detail:
Make Search Great Again: Preferred Sources

I asked Google's Gemini to create a cover image for the article (if we can't laugh, what can we do?):

 

[jelicicm]

This seems very useful, thank you for pointing it out! As for testing, I've wanted to add your website, but it throws and error. It could be that Google is just rolling out this feature for specific clients? On Firefox, whilst being logged in.

 

[BikeGremlin]

This seems very useful, thank you for pointing it out! As for testing, I've wanted to add your website, but it throws and error. It could be that Google is just rolling out this feature for specific clients? On Firefox, whilst being logged in.
View attachment 760

Thanks for the feedback.

It works on Firefox for me - with a Serbian IP address.

Based on the text from your screenshot, it may be be that Google hasn't rolled it out for all the accounts or all the regions.

 

[jelicicm]

OK, after a bit of research I've managed to find something.

• The link in the forums is still broken for me
• Functional link - type in `bikegremlin.net` and it finds it and makes it available for selection
• `bike.bikegremlin.com` - can be added in the same way
• Neither `bikegremlin.com` or `bicikl.bikegremlin.com` can be found (English lang only limitation?)
• `sheldonbrown.com` - easy to find and add
• Typing in `reddit.com` yields `reddit.com.siterate.org` as a result (although Reddit is now 'default' anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much)

Hope it helps.

 

[BikeGremlin]

OK, after a bit of research I've managed to find something.

• The link in the forums is still broken for me
• Functional link - type in `bikegremlin.net` and it finds it and makes it available for selection
• `bike.bikegremlin.com` - can be added in the same way
• Neither `bikegremlin.com` or `bicikl.bikegremlin.com` can be found (English lang only limitation?)

AFAIK, Google judges per subdomain in most cases.
So, bicikl.bikegremlin.com is completely different than bike.bikegremlin.com in Google's official eyes.
Also, it seems that Google thinks that bicikl.bikegremlin.com is not worth indexing.
Similar goes for the www.bikegremlin.com Youtube index (bilingual), and my blog.bikegremlin.com (OK, that last one may be dubious but a lot less dubious than some stuff that gets listed but I digress).

• `sheldonbrown.com` - easy to find and add
• Typing in `reddit.com` yields `reddit.com.siterate.org` as a result (although Reddit is now 'default' anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much)

Hope it helps.

Yes, thanks -that confirms some of my info. Though I am not sure why the original link doesn't work. This should be the link:

https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=bikegremlin.net

The query parameter should auto-fill-in "bikegremlin.net" text.
It seems to work on Firefox for me - but I think it may not function on mobile and maybe with some extensions (does work with AdGuard and uBlock Origin).

Relja