Google says it will show inline source links higher in AI Mode and AI Overviews more often, while testing a dedicated section for official websites at the top of some AI responses. The October 15 changes also include article carousels rolling out to more locations and languages, and more prominent links to related reporting.
Google says these updates are intended to help people move from AI-generated answers to websites and creators.
Some changes are rolling out; others remain tests
Google says it is launching updates that place inline links higher in responses more frequently. It is also beginning to roll out prominent carousels for timely articles in AI Search to additional locations and languages. The carousels can highlight a user's Preferred Sources.
Other features are still being tested. Google says it is testing a section at the top of some AI responses that surfaces one or two official websites with a short explanation of why each link may help. It also says it has begun testing clickable creator and publisher names on video results in AI Mode, linking to their Search profiles.
Google is redesigning links to related articles that appear at the end of some AI responses, adding image thumbnails and a more prominent presentation. The announcement does not provide a region-by-region timetable for these changes.
More visible links do not establish more publisher traffic
Moving links higher and giving article cards more visual space could make it easier for readers to open original pages from an AI response. That is a product-design rationale, not a measured outcome: Google published no click-through, referral-traffic or publisher-revenue results for these updates.
Sources
- Google's October 15 announcement of AI Mode and AI Overviews updates.
- Photograph by Kristin Hardwick / ISO Republic, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0; illustrative smartphone image).
Illustrative image: Kristin Hardwick / ISO Republic, via Wikimedia Commons. CC0 1.0.