Google adds more website links inside AI Overviews in Search

In short: Google is changing its AI answers in Search to include more links to the websites they are based on.

What happened

Google says it will roll out several updates to AI Overviews and AI Mode, the AI-written answers that can appear at the top of a Google search results page. The main goal is to show more links to outside websites inside the AI answer itself.

One change is a new “Further Exploration” section that will appear at the bottom of AI answers. It will list related articles and analysis in bullet points, similar to a “read more” box at the end of an article.

Google also plans an “Expert Advice” section in some AI answers. This will show short snippets pulled from around the web, including news, reviews, and discussions on public forums and social media, and it will include links to the original pages.

Google says it will add more links throughout AI answers, too. These links may appear as small clickable labels at the end of paragraphs. Google also says it will add hover previews so you can see a quick pop-up about a site before clicking.

Separately, Google says it is looking for publishers to test a subscription feature. It would use an API, which is a connector that lets two services share information, to match a reader’s website subscription with their Google account. Google says early tests showed people were more likely to click when their subscribed sites were shown.

Why it matters

Many websites depend on Google Search for visitors. When an AI answer gives people what they need without clicking, it can reduce traffic to those sites. By adding clearer paths to the original sources, Google is signaling that it wants AI answers to work more like a summary with citations, not a dead end.

Source: Arstechnica