Google tests AI Overview links that lead into AI Mode, not a webpage

Google is testing a new kind of link inside AI Overviews: one that looks like it goes to a website, but instead opens a follow-up question in AI Mode.

What was spotted#

SEO reporter Gagan Ghotra documented the test on X on September 21, 2026, with a video, a GIF and a screenshot, and Search Engine Roundtable reported it the next day. The links sit at the bottom of an AI Overview, styled like any other anchor link; the screenshot shows the cursor hovering over two of them. Clicking one does not leave Google, it opens a related question inside AI Mode.

Ghotra described it as anchor links “which instead of taking to a webpage takes to AI Mode,” and added: “Another day - Another Tactic from Google to push users from usual search results to AI Mode.”

Why the styling matters#

A link that reads like a citation but resolves to a Google surface changes what a click is worth to a publisher. If a user cannot distinguish an AI Mode prompt from a link to a source page before clicking, some share of clicks that once left Google for a website will instead stay inside AI Mode. Search Engine Roundtable’s report does not include click-through numbers, so the size of that shift is not known.

It is not the only recent route into AI Mode. Google has also been testing an AI Mode button in the results page search bar.

What Google’s documentation says about AI links#

Google’s page on AI features says AI Overviews and AI Mode “surface relevant links” to help people find information and explore content. To be eligible as a supporting link, a page must be indexed and eligible to show in Search with a snippet, and Google says no special optimization is needed. The documentation does not describe links that lead to AI Mode instead of a page.

How to check your own exposure#

Google says traffic from AI features is counted in the Search Console Performance report under the “Web” search type, not in a separate bucket. That means a test like this cannot be isolated directly. What you can do:

• Compare clicks and impressions for queries where you know an AI Overview appears, before and after late September 2026.
• Watch for pages whose impressions hold steady while clicks fall, with no ranking change.
• Keep in mind that ranking and AI Overview citation are drifting apart, as Ahrefs data on citation decoupling shows.

What is still unconfirmed#

Google has not commented on the test. Search Engine Roundtable’s report is based on one person’s documented sighting, not a Google announcement, so the eligibility, rollout percentage and whether the test ships broadly all remain open questions.

Why we care#

Treat this as an early signal, not a confirmed rollout. If AI Overview referral traffic on your own properties shifts without a corresponding change in your rankings, this test is one plausible cause worth checking for. We will follow up if Google confirms the feature or expands it.