Google Adds More Inline Links to AI Mode and AI Overviews, Tests a Top-of-Answer Link Section

Google has announced a set of changes to how its AI search features link out to websites. In More ways to connect with the web from Search, published on 15 October, Hema Budaraju, VP of Product Management, wrote:

We're updating AI Mode and AI Overviews with clearer inline links, context about sources, timely articles and more.

Some of the changes are live and some are tests. Here's which is which.

Live now

More inline links, higher in the answer. Google says: "We've made continued and substantial increases to the presence of inline links in our AI experiences." It adds that inline links will appear "higher up in responses more frequently". Inline links sit within the text of the answer, next to the claim they support, so they're more visible than citations grouped at the end.

Bigger related-article links. Links at the end of a response now have "image thumbnails and a more clickable design". Google gives no rollout scope or timing.

News carousels in more countries. Google is "starting to roll out the prominent carousels you see for timely articles in AI Search features to additional locations and languages globally". These carousels highlight Preferred Sources, the feature that lets people choose which news sites they see more often. Google says the number of people using Preferred Sources "has grown by more than 7x since the start of the year". The post doesn't list which countries or languages get the carousels.

Being tested

A dedicated link section at the top of answers. Google says: "We'll be testing a new display in Search AI experiences to prominently surface these links in a dedicated section at the top of a response, with context about why each link is useful." If it rolls out widely, this is potentially the biggest change in the post. A link above the generated answer, with an explanation of why it's useful, gets far more attention than a citation at the bottom.

Clickable creator and publisher names on videos. "This week, we started testing clickable creator and publisher names on video results that link directly to their Search profiles in AI Mode." That ties in with Google's push to get creators and publishers to set up Search profiles.

Why Google is doing this now

Publishers and regulators have spent the past year arguing that AI Overviews and AI Mode take traffic without sending it back. Google's message is that AI search should send people to the web. Note what the post doesn't include, though: any figures on click-through rates or traffic sent to websites. "Substantial increases" in links isn't the same as substantial increases in clicks.

What to do

1. Check whether your pages are being cited. Search Console doesn't separate AI Overview or AI Mode traffic, but you can track a set of important queries manually and note whether your pages appear as inline links.
2. Make your pages easy to cite. Inline links attach to specific claims. Pages that state facts plainly, near the top, with clear headings, are easier for the system to link to a particular sentence of the answer.
3. Make it clear what your site is and why it is useful. If Google is adding "context about why each link is useful", clear entity signals help: the same business name, address and description everywhere, plus Organization schema that links your site and profiles. We cover this in our schema and structured data service.
4. Encourage readers to add you as a Preferred Source if you publish news. The carousels favour those sources.
5. Set up your Search profile if you're a creator or publisher and want to benefit from the video-name test.

For a broader approach to visibility in AI answers, see our AI search optimisation service.

Sources

• Google: More ways to connect with the web from Search (15 October 2026)