Google has updated the rules for displaying links in AI Mode and AI Overviews. The update primarily affects content website owners, media outlets and SEO specialists who have been losing traffic due to the search engine's generative responses.
Links within text and official website blocks
Google has started placing clickable links to original sources more frequently at the top of generated responses instead of hiding them at the bottom of the block. Text links are now placed directly next to statements containing facts, making it easier for users to visit the author's website.
For queries with a limited number of verified sources, the search engine has launched a separate test. If there are only one or two official answers to a specific query, Google places links to these websites at the very top, along with a brief explanation of why users should visit that particular resource.
At the same time, links at the end of AI responses have also been redesigned. Preview images have been added, and the cards have been made more prominent to encourage users to visit the sources after reading the text.
Preferred website carousels and author profiles
The second major change affects carousels featuring recent news, which Google is expanding to new countries and languages. In these blocks, the system prioritizes websites that users have added to their list of preferred sources (Preferred Sources).
According to Google, the number of people who have configured a list of preferred websites has increased more than sevenfold since the beginning of the year. To make a website eligible for these carousels, its owner needs to enable generative search support in Google Search Console and encourage readers to save the website to their search favorites using a special button.
In addition, Google has started testing links to authors' search profiles beneath videos in AI Mode. When users click on a content creator's name, they are taken to a separate Google page that brings together all of that author's articles, videos and social media posts.
Who the update will affect
The changes primarily give major publications and official portals a chance to regain some of their lost traffic. Links to these websites now appear on the first screen of AI responses, increasing click-through rates compared with the previous layout.
For webmasters and affiliate marketers working with search traffic, the update introduces a technical consideration when analyzing data. In Google Search Console, all links within a single AI block are still counted as one shared position in search results, so actual growth in traffic will have to be tracked exclusively through changes in clicks rather than ranking charts.
