Google is changing how links appear in its AI-powered Search features. In an October 15 product update, the company said AI Mode and AI Overviews will show more inline links, place those links higher in responses more often, test a prominent section for official websites and expand news carousels for timely articles. The changes are intended to make original sources easier to discover while users read AI-generated answers.
Where the new links will appear
Google says it has increased the number of links embedded directly in AI responses and is placing them nearer the top more frequently. It is also testing a separate section for queries where one or two official websites are especially relevant, with context explaining why those pages are useful. The company describes this as a test, so it should not be presented as a feature already available for every search or in every market.
For news queries, Google says prominent carousels of timely articles are starting to roll out in additional locations and languages. These carousels can highlight a user's Preferred Sources. Google also plans more visible links to related articles at the end of some AI responses, using thumbnails and a larger clickable presentation. Separately, it has begun testing clickable creator and publisher names on video results in AI Mode.
Why publishers will watch the rollout
A publisher's visibility in an AI answer depends on more than whether it is cited: placement, wording and the ease of clicking through also matter. More links near the start of an answer may make it easier for readers to check the source and continue to the original reporting. The expanded news carousels could similarly make timely coverage more prominent. Those are plausible effects of the interface changes, not measured outcomes in Google's announcement.
Google did not provide click-through rates, referral traffic figures or a before-and-after study for these specific updates. It did say that the number of people using its Preferred Sources feature has grown more than sevenfold since the beginning of 2026. That growth describes use of the preference tool; it does not establish that the new AI Search layouts have improved traffic to news sites.
What happens next
The update combines changes at different stages: more inline links are being introduced, official-site placement is being tested, and timely-article carousels are expanding gradually. That means two users may not see the same presentation immediately. For newsrooms and other site operators, the useful measure will be whether the added visibility turns into visits and engagement with the source material, not simply whether a page appears in an AI answer.
Google's announcement acknowledges a basic design challenge for AI Search: a generated summary can answer a question quickly, but users still need a clear path to the reporting, documentation and creators behind it. The new layouts make that path more visible. Their effect on the open web will need to be measured as the rollout progresses.