Google is overhauling how links appear inside AI Mode and AI Overviews, rolling out five updates today that embed citations directly alongside generated text rather than relegating them to footnotes. The changes address a persistent tension in Google's AI Search strategy. Since launching AI Overviews and later AI Mode. The company has faced questions about whether its AI-generated answers discourage clicks to third-party websites.
These updates represent Google's most aggressive attempt to prove AI Search can still drive traffic.
Links now appear "right next to the relevant [generated] text" in AI responses, a granular approach that replaces the previous model of stacking citations at the bottom. A user researching Pacific coast bike routes, for example, might see a link to a touring guide embedded in the bullet point about terrain, not appended below it. On desktop, hovering over an inline link shows the "name of the website or title of the web page." Google's own early testing found that "people might hesitate to click a link if they're not sure exactly where it leads," per 9to5Google.
Subscription content gets special treatment. AI Mode and AI Overviews will highlight links from news subscriptions, a feature informed by internal data showing users were "significantly more likely to click links that were labeled as their subscriptions." Publishers can enable this through Google's integration documentation, per Search Engine Land. When AI responses cite social media or forum discussions, Google now includes the creator's name, handle, and community name. A photography query pulling from a forum would show both the advice and a clickable link to the original conversation thread.
AI responses will also end with "suggested angles" linking to in-depth analyses on different facets of the topic. A query about urban green space might surface a case study on Seoul's stream restoration alongside a report on New York's High Line park. The changes come as AI Mode captures a growing share of Search traffic. Google noted in its recent earnings report that a rising portion of search usage flows through AI Mode, per Android Central.
Hema Budaraju, Google's VP of Product Management, wrote that the company will "keep testing, learning and improving these features based on what works best for you."
