Google announced five changes to how links appear in answers in AI Mode and AI Overviews. Hema Budaraju, VP of Product Management, explained the changes in a blog post. The company will increase opportunities to place links higher in answer text, and is also beginning to test a format that puts links to official sites at the top of answers for searches related to specific tasks. Carousels of current news articles are expanding to more regions and languages, while a feature that lets users navigate from video results to creators’ Search profiles is being tested.
The “evidence” behind AI answers moves closer to the top of the screen
Search that answers in AI-generated prose is convenient. But many people have probably found themselves wondering as they read, “Where did this information originally come from?” Google’s latest update seems designed to address that question through its interface.
The company says it has continued to make inline links—that is, links placed right alongside the text of an answer—more prominent in its AI experiences. This time, it says links will appear higher up more often than before. The update pushes further in the direction previewed in May, when Google said it would show links beside relevant text.
However, Google has not provided specific figures, such as the percentage increase in link displays. The visual change is clear, but it is worth noting that the announcement did not say how extensive it will be.
The end of answers is changing, too
In some answers, links at the end will include image thumbnails, in a design Google describes as “more clickable.” In May, the company announced that it would show links at the end of answers to articles covering other aspects of a topic. This update refines how those links are presented.
After finishing an answer, users can move on to their next read via article cards with thumbnails. The design appears to be built around that flow.
Searches with few official sources will lead straight to official sites
Another key development is a test for task-oriented searches. It is aimed at queries about things like procedures or settings, where there may be only one or two reliable official sources. In those cases, Google says it will list links to official sites at the very top of the answer, along with an explanation of why each one may be useful.
In many situations, it is more reliable to open the relevant official page directly than to read an AI-generated summary. This is an interesting effort to shift AI from being “the one that gives you an answer” toward “the one that guides you to the right place.” However, the format is still in testing, and Google has not said when it might be rolled out more broadly.
More paths to articles and creators
Carousels of current news (lists of articles that users can swipe through horizontally) are now rolling out to more regions and languages. Articles from Preferred Sources—the sites users select in Search as ones they “want to see more from”—will be highlighted in these carousels. Google says the number of people using Preferred Sources has grown to more than seven times its level at the start of the year, but it has not disclosed the actual number.
The announcement also did not specify which regions and languages are included. For now, a practical step may be to check AI search results in the countries and languages relevant to your site.
From video results to creators’ profiles
A new test in AI Mode video results began this week. Clicking a creator’s or publisher’s name takes users to their Search profile. Introduced in June, Search profiles are pages that bring together a creator’s content—such as articles, videos, and social media posts—in one place.
According to the help page, profiles can be created by people in the United States, Canada, and India who have at least 10,000 followers on YouTube, Instagram, X, or TikTok. To use the feature, the Google Account holder must be at least 18 years old. The path from AI Mode to these profiles remains limited to a test for now.
Better visibility and more traffic are two different things
If links appear higher in an answer, clicks should increase—or so it is tempting to assume. But it is not that simple. Search Console assigns all links in a single AI Overview one ranking for the Overview as a whole. So even if a link moves higher within the answer, its reported ranking does not change.
To be eligible for Preferred Sources, a site must be included in Search’s generative AI features, according to Search Console. This requirement applies to both AI Mode and AI Overviews. Google also provides a button and a deep link that readers can use to add a site.
Of the updates announced, the carousel expansion is already underway. The display of official sites at the top of answers and the path to creator profiles are still in testing. In AI search, it will likely be essential to distinguish changes in how things appear on screen from changes in a site’s rankings or traffic.
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