# System - Google Preferred Documentation - Extension Page: [System - Google Preferred](/software/joomla/plugins/system-google-preferred) ## Overview System - Google Preferred is a Joomla system plugin that displays a Bootstrap toast notification inviting your site visitors to add your domain as a Google Preferred Source. When a visitor clicks through and adds your site, Google prioritizes your content in their personal search results, Top Stories, and AI-powered search responses. --- ## Requirements - Joomla 4.x or 5.x - PHP 8.x - A domain that Google recognizes as a news/content source (see [Finding Your Domain](https://claude.ai/chat/2825fd95-51e6-4932-8948-df16cf1b9d75#finding-your-domain) below) --- ## Installation 1. Download the plugin package (`.zip` file). 2. In your Joomla admin, go to **System → Extensions → Install**. 3. Upload the zip file and click **Install**. 4. Go to **System → Plugins**, search for **Google Preferred**, and enable it. 5. Open the plugin settings and configure your domain (see below). --- ## Finding Your Domain Before enabling the plugin, you need to know which domain Google associates with your site. This is not always obvious — Google may recognize `example.com` but not `www.example.com`, or vice versa. **To find the correct domain:** 1. Open the plugin settings and enter your domain in the **Preferred Domain** field. 2. Click the **Test Preferred Domain** link that appears below the field. 3. Google will open a page showing your site's favicon and domain name if it recognizes it. 4. If you don't see your site listed, try removing `www.` or any subdomain and test again. If Google doesn't recognize your domain at all, the plugin will still work — but visitors who click through won't see your site listed on Google's preference page. Make sure you have the right domain before going live. --- ## Configuration The plugin settings are organized into three tabs: **Basic**, **Style**, and **Toast**. --- ### Basic Tab **Preferred Domain** The domain Google should recognize — for example, `richeyweb.com`. Do not include `https://` or a trailing slash. Use the test link (described above) to confirm this is correct. --- ### Style Tab **Toast Preview** A live preview of your toast appears at the top of this tab. Changes to the fields below update the preview in real time. **Favicon** The URL to your site's favicon, used as the icon in the toast header. This is typically `favicon.ico` (relative to your site root) or a full URL like `https://example.com/favicon.ico`. Leave blank to show no icon. **Position** Where the toast appears on screen. Nine options are available: | Option | Value | |---|---| | Top Left | `top-0 start-0` | | Top Center | `top-0 start-50 translate-middle-x` | | Top Right | `top-0 end-0` | | Middle Left | `top-50 start-0 translate-middle-y` | | Middle Center | `top-50 start-50 translate-middle` | | Middle Right | `top-50 end-0 translate-middle-y` | | Bottom Left | `bottom-0 start-0` | | **Bottom Center** *(default)* | `bottom-0 start-50 translate-middle-x` | | Bottom Right | `bottom-0 end-0` | **Toast Background Class** The Bootstrap color class applied to the entire toast. Options: Default (no class), Primary, Secondary, Success, Danger, Warning, Info, Light, Dark. **Toast Button Class** The Bootstrap button class applied to the "Add now" button. Options: Primary *(default)*, Secondary, Success, Danger, Warning, Info, Light, Dark. **Toast Width** Maximum width of the toast. Accepts CSS values: `px`, `em`, `rem`, or `%`. Default is `350px`. Leave at default unless you need to adjust for your layout. --- ### Toast Tab **Auto Hide** Whether the toast automatically disappears after a delay. Default: Yes. If set to No, the visitor must close it manually. **Show Delay** How many milliseconds to wait after the page loads before showing the toast. Default: `1500` (1.5 seconds). Increase this if the toast appears before your page has finished rendering visually. **Hide Delay** How many milliseconds to wait before the toast auto-hides (only applies if Auto Hide is enabled). Default: `5000` (5 seconds). **Dismiss Days** How many days to wait before showing the toast again to a visitor who closed it. Default: `30`. The dismissal is stored in the visitor's browser as a cookie — nothing is stored on your server. --- ## How the Toast Behaves 1. The page loads and the toast HTML is embedded as a hidden `