Google moves links higher in AI search as publishers face traffic pressure

Google is making links more prominent in its AI-powered search results as publishers grapple with a search experience that increasingly answers questions before users leave Google.

The company said on Thursday, 15 October, that inline links will appear higher in AI-generated responses more often, while article carousels will expand to more locations and languages. The changes apply to AI Overviews and AI Mode.

“We’re also launching updates to show inline links higher up in responses more frequently,” Google said, with the aim of making key sources easier to reach while users read an AI response.

Google is also testing a dedicated section at the top of some responses that will highlight one or two official webpages when its systems determine they are the best places to complete a task or find specific information.

The company is expanding carousels for timely articles, including stories from publications users have selected through its Preferred Sources feature. Google said use of Preferred Sources has risen more than sevenfold since the start of the year.

Google brought Preferred Sources into AI Overviews and AI Mode in May. It has said users are twice as likely to click through to a website after marking it as a preferred source.

Links displayed at the end of some AI responses are also being redesigned with image thumbnails and a more prominent layout.

The changes come as AI-generated responses take a larger role in Google Search, raising concerns among publishers that users may get the information they need without clicking through to the sites that produced it. Publishers are increasingly pushing for compensation and protections as AI products use their content, while concerns persist about declining referral traffic from search.

Google has repeatedly argued that its AI search tools are designed to send users to the wider web. It has increased inline links, introduced website previews and added features that let users favor particular publishers.

AI Overviews began rolling out broadly in the US in May 2024. Google introduced AI Mode as an experiment in March 2025, allowing users to ask longer questions, receive generated responses and continue with follow-up queries.

The products have since reached substantial scale. Alphabet Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said in July 2025 that AI Overviews had more than 2 billion monthly users across more than 200 countries and territories and 40 languages.