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Google tests the AI Mode sidebar on the main results page

A screenshot shows Google testing AI Mode's left sidebar, with chat history and settings, on regular web results. Google has not confirmed it.

Published · 1 min read

Written byAdam Hafez
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Key takeaways

  • Damien Andell shared a screenshot of the AI Mode left sidebar appearing on Google's main web search results page.
  • The sidebar holds the small Google logo, chat history lines, a way to start an AI Mode chat and the settings icon.
  • Barry Schwartz could not reproduce it in his browsers and suspects it is a test, not a full rollout.
  • Google has not confirmed the test or said what it is for.
  • Marie Haynes first said the sidebar showed Gemini app conversations, then corrected that to conversations from the Gemini overlay on her Android phone.

Damien Andell shared a screenshot of what looks like AI Mode’s left sidebar on Google’s main results page. Search Engine Roundtable’s Barry Schwartz reported it on 14 October 2026.

What is Google testing?

Moving the left vertical sidebar from AI Mode results onto the regular web search results page. The sidebar holds the small Google logo, chat history lines, a way to start an AI Mode chat and the settings icon.

Is it confirmed?

Google has made no statement, and Schwartz could not reproduce the change in his browsers, so he suspects a test rather than a rollout. Marie Haynes first said the sidebar listed her Gemini app conversations, then corrected that to conversations from the Gemini overlay on her Android phone.

Why does it matter for SEO?

Mostly as a signal of direction: a persistent entry to AI Mode on ordinary results would put it closer to every search. Nothing reported says it changes ranking or clicks to sites, and we would not infer that from one screenshot. For the recent AI Mode model change, see Gemini 4 Argon in AI Mode, and our AI search and SERP features hubs.

The evidence

Type
industry
Impact
low
Affects
Google Search interface, AI Mode

Sources

  1. 1.Damien Andell's screenshot of the sidebar test - Damien Andell (X)Primary
  2. 2.Google Tests AI Mode Left Sidebar On Main Google Search Results Page - Search Engine Roundtable, October 14, 2026

Frequently asked questions

What is the AI Mode sidebar test?

Google appears to be showing the left vertical sidebar from AI Mode on the regular web results page. It holds the Google logo, chat history, a way to start an AI Mode chat and the settings icon.

Has Google confirmed the sidebar test?

No. Search Engine Roundtable's article includes no statement from Google, and its author could not reproduce the change.

Does this change how my pages rank?

Nothing reported suggests so. It is an interface test, and the sources describe only where the AI Mode controls appear.

About the author

Adam Hafez
Adam Hafez

Founder, UpgradIQ FZC LLC

Adam Hafez works on technical SEO and search measurement: how pages get crawled, indexed, ranked and now quoted by answer engines. He founded UpgradIQ, which reads Google Search Console and GA4 to tie ranking movement back to the changes that caused it. He publishes what the data supports and states the limits of it.

  • Technical SEO
  • Search Console and GA4 measurement
  • Answer engine optimization
  • Structured data

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