Google has announced further changes to how links are displayed within its AI Overviews and AI Mode, with the goal of making sources easier to spot and more appealing for users to click. The update introduces a redesigned link experience that focuses on visibility, clarity, and interaction across both desktop and mobile platforms.
The news was shared by Robby Stein, Vice President of Product for Google Search, who explained that the company is testing a new way of presenting links inside AI-generated responses. According to Stein, the redesign is intended to help users quickly understand where information comes from and encourage them to explore original content from across the web.
One of the most noticeable changes affects desktop users. Groups of links within AI Overviews and AI Mode will now appear inside a pop-up window when a user hovers over them. This pop-up includes the website’s name, its favicon, and a short description of the content. The aim is to provide a brief preview of the source before users decide whether to click through.
This hover feature represents a shift in how links are handled within AI responses. Instead of appearing only as small or less obvious references, links are now grouped and presented in a more structured way. By showing key details at a glance, Google hopes to make the browsing experience smoother and more informative.
In addition to hover pop-ups, Google is also rolling out more prominent and descriptive link icons within AI-generated answers. These icons will be clearer and more visible on both desktop and mobile devices. The intention is to ensure that users can easily recognise which parts of an AI response are backed by external sources.
Stein noted that early testing suggests the updated design is more engaging and helps users reach high-quality content more easily. Google believes that improving the way links are displayed will make AI search results feel more transparent and useful, rather than appearing as closed or self-contained answers.
Link visibility within AI-generated search results has become one of the most closely watched issues in the search industry over the past year. Many publishers and website owners have raised concerns that AI summaries reduce the likelihood of users clicking through to original articles and resources.
Research has supported these concerns. A study by Pew found that users clicked on a link within an AI summary in only around 1% of visits to pages that included such a feature. This suggests that most people rely on the AI-generated answer itself rather than exploring the underlying sources.
Further analysis has shown a decline in organic click-through rates since AI Overviews were expanded. A GrowthSRC Media report cited in industry coverage revealed that the top organic result’s click-through rate fell from 28% to 19%, representing a drop of more than 30%. This raised questions about the long-term impact of AI features on website traffic and publisher revenue.
Google has responded to these trends with a series of incremental changes. Last August, Stein said the company’s guiding principle was to surface more inline links and make it easier for users to access content from around the web. At that time, Google introduced embedded link carousels on desktop search results.
The latest update builds on that earlier work by bringing link improvements directly into AI Overviews. The addition of hover pop-ups introduces a new interaction method that allows users to engage with sources without immediately leaving the AI response page.
The emphasis on creating a “more engaging” user interface is particularly important. While clearer and more visible links may improve user trust and transparency, the real measure of success will be whether these changes lead to more clicks reaching publisher websites.
For content creators and digital marketers, this update will be closely monitored. If the new design successfully drives more traffic to original sources, it could ease some of the concerns surrounding AI-generated answers and their effect on organic search performance.
However, it remains uncertain how users will respond in practice. Behavioural changes in search often take time to appear, and the industry will be watching data closely to see whether hover pop-ups and enhanced icons translate into meaningful improvements in click-through rates.
Looking ahead, this update appears to be part of a broader pattern rather than a single experiment. Over the past year, Google has repeatedly refined how links appear within AI responses, suggesting that it views link presentation as an ongoing design challenge rather than a finished product.
Stein’s comments indicate that Google will continue to adjust and test new layouts as it seeks the right balance between providing quick AI answers and ensuring that original publishers remain visible and accessible.
Overall, the new link display features signal Google’s intention to make AI Overviews more open and connected to the wider web. By improving how sources are shown and interacted with, the company hopes to create a search experience that combines the convenience of AI with easier access to trusted external content.
As AI continues to reshape online search, further updates to link visibility are likely. This latest move suggests that Google is listening to feedback from users and publishers alike and is committed to refining how AI-driven results guide people towards reliable information across the internet.
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