Google’s AI answers have a click problem, and Google knows it. On October 15, 2026, it announced another round of changes to how AI Mode and AI Overviews show links, with the stated goal of sending more people to publishers and creators. It came in a busy week for AI search: two days earlier, Google started rolling out its new Gemini 4 Argon model in AI Mode, and the day before, users spotted a test that brings the AI Mode sidebar to the regular results page.
What Google changed
- More inline links. More links are embedded directly inside AI responses, and some appear higher up in the answer.
- A top links section. For some tasks and precise questions, a new section at the top highlights one or two links, the page Google considers the right place to complete the task. Google’s example was a query about an airline refund.
- Thumbnails for related articles. The “Dive deeper” related links get a more visual, more clickable design with images.
- More news carousels. Timely news carousels are expanding to more regions and languages, and they highlight the user’s Preferred Sources.
- Creator links (test). Google is testing links on creator and publisher names in video results in AI Mode. These links go first to the creator’s Google Search profile page, not directly to their website.
Google also said that use of Preferred Sources, which lets people choose the outlets they want to see more often, has grown seven times since the start of 2026, and Nick Fox, who leads Search, said that more than 400 publications are in Google’s pilot program that pays for content used in AI features.
Gemini 4 Argon and the AI Mode sidebar
On October 13, Google began rolling out Gemini 4 Argon in AI Mode for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers worldwide. Google describes it as better at multi-step tasks and at following instructions across a conversation. Unlike the earlier launch of Gemini 3.8 Flash in AI Mode, which initially came without citations, Argon answers include links.
A day later, Search Engine Roundtable reported a test that moves the AI Mode left sidebar, with chat history and a button to start an AI Mode conversation, onto the main Google results page. It is only a test, but the direction is clear: Google is making the jump from classic results to AI Mode one click away.
Will it bring more clicks?
Nobody outside Google can say yet, and that is the core problem. Search Console’s AI performance reports still do not include click data for AI Overviews or AI Mode. Google says it is working with website owners and will add more metrics over time. Until then, publishers cannot verify whether these changes work. Industry coverage has been skeptical: Google has changed AI link designs several times in 2026, and studies keep finding far fewer clicks from AI answers than from classic results.
Our view: more links are better than fewer, but the most important change may be the top links section. If Google is going to pick one or two pages to complete a task, being that page becomes the new position 1, and the competition for it will be intense.
What publishers should do
- Be the page that completes the task. For transactional and how-to queries, the top links section rewards the page that answers the exact need: the refund form, the official requirements, the working tool. Clear, specific pages beat broad ones.
- Promote your Preferred Source button. Readers who add you as a preferred source see you more often in news carousels and AI answers. Google lets publishers link to that option directly, so ask loyal readers to use it.
- Set up your Search profile. If creator links in AI Mode go to Google’s Search profile page first, that profile becomes part of your funnel. Keep it complete, consistent and linked to your site.
- Take care of your images. Thumbnails in related links and carousels come from your pages. A clear featured image and Open Graph image, in a 1.91:1 format, make your link more clickable. Check yours with our Open Graph Checker.
- Stay crawlable for AI search. None of these links can point to you if Google cannot read your pages. Blocking Google-Extended does not remove you from AI Overviews, but blocking Googlebot does. Our AI Bot Checker shows how your robots.txt treats each crawler.
- Measure what you can. Track impressions in Search Console’s AI reports, watch referral traffic from Google to the pages that appear in AI answers, and read our guide to measuring AI referral traffic.
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
What changed in AI Mode and AI Overviews in October 2026?
Google added more inline links, a top section with one or two key links for some tasks, image thumbnails for related articles, wider news carousels with Preferred Sources, and a test of creator links in video results.
Does Search Console show clicks from AI Mode?
Not separately. Search Console’s AI performance reports do not include click data yet. Google says it will add more metrics over time.
What is Gemini 4 Argon?
Google’s newest Gemini model, rolled out in AI Mode from October 13, 2026 for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers. Its answers include links to sources.
What are Preferred Sources?
A Google feature that lets users choose news outlets they want to see more often. Their content is highlighted in news carousels, AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google says its use has grown seven times in 2026.