Google adds more links to AI Mode and AI Overviews

Hema Budaraju, Google’s VP of product management for Search, published Updates to AI Mode and AI Overviews to help you explore the web on 15 October 2026, and Nick Fox announced it on X. Search Engine Roundtable’s Barry Schwartz covered the missing click data.

What links is Google adding?#

Google says it is adding more links within AI responses and showing them higher up more often, so key sources are easy to click when needed. A test will also surface one or two official pages in a dedicated section at the top of a response, with context on why each is useful. Related articles at the end of some responses, under Dive Deeper, get image thumbnails and a more clickable design.

How do news carousels change?#

Prominent carousels for timely articles are expanding to more locations and languages. They will highlight a person’s Preferred Sources, which Google says has grown by more than 7x since the start of the year. Our write-up of the Preferred Sources button shows how a site invites that choice.

What about video publisher names?#

A test makes creator and publisher names on video results in AI Mode clickable. Per Google’s post they lead to the publisher’s Search profile, and Schwartz reports the profile page comes first. Our Search profiles coverage explains who qualifies.

Where is the click data?#

Schwartz says Google told him it is continuing to work with website owners to understand which insights will be most helpful, and will add metrics over time. He argues click data belongs in its AI performance reports now. We found no figure from Google on how many clicks the new links drive.

What does it mean for sites?#

More visible links raise the chance of a click from an AI answer, but with no click reporting you cannot measure it from Search Console alone. Compare your referral traffic before and after, and see our AI search and SERP features hubs for related changes, including the Gemini 4 Argon model in AI Mode.