Google Adds More Links to AI Overviews and AI Mode: What It Means for Websites and SEO

Quick answer: On October 15, 2026, Google announced five changes to AI Overviews and AI Mode: more inline links inside AI answers, a test showing official pages at the top, news carousels in more countries and languages, richer related-article links with thumbnails, and a test of clickable creator and publisher names on video results.

Ever since Google started showing AI-generated answers at the top of search, website owners have worried about losing clicks. Google’s latest update is aimed directly at that concern — it adds more ways for people to reach the original sources.

The five changes

1. More inline links inside answers

AI responses will now contain more clickable links within words and phrases, so you can open a source while reading. Google says it has seen “continued and substantial increases” in these links and that they will appear higher up in responses more often.

2. Official pages at the top (test)

For certain tasks, Google is testing a section that shows one or two official pages at the top of the response, with a short note explaining why each is useful — for example, an official government or brand page for a specific process.

3. News carousels in more places

Carousels highlighting timely news articles are rolling out to more locations and languages globally. They highlight a user’s Preferred Sources and appear for a wider range of queries. Google says the number of people using Preferred Sources has grown more than 7x since the start of 2026.

4. Better related-article links

Links shown at the end of some AI responses now come with image thumbnails and a more clickable design.

5. Creator and publisher names (test)

On video results in AI Mode, Google is testing clickable creator and publisher names that lead to their Search profiles.

What this means for publishers and bloggers

• Being cited matters more than ranking #1. Inline links reward pages that give clear, specific facts that an AI answer can reference.
• Ask readers to add you as a Preferred Source. With news carousels expanding and Preferred Sources usage growing fast, loyal readers can directly increase your visibility for news queries.
• Featured images now count in AI results too. Thumbnails in related links mean a strong, relevant image can improve click-through.
• Official and authoritative pages get a boost. Brands should make sure their official pages for key tasks (support, pricing, how-to) are clear and up to date.

How to optimise your content for AI Overviews

1. Answer the main question clearly in the first two or three sentences.
2. Use descriptive H2 and H3 headings that match how people search.
3. Use numbered steps for processes and tables for comparisons.
4. Add an FAQ section with short, direct answers.
5. Cite original sources and show who wrote the article and why they are qualified.
6. Use large, high-quality featured images (at least 1200px wide).

Frequently asked questions

Will these changes bring more traffic to websites?

Google’s goal is to send more people to sources from AI answers, but results will vary by query and site. Track clicks from Search Console over the coming weeks.

Are these features live in India?

Google did not list specific countries for most features. News carousels are expanding to more locations and languages, and the official-page and creator-name features are still tests.

Based on Google’s official Search blog announcement dated October 15, 2026.