Google adds more links to AI Overviews, but still won't show the clicks

Google announced on 15 October 2026 that it is adding more inline links, a new section for official websites, wider news carousels and clickable creator profiles across AI Overviews and AI Mode. The company has not published click-through data to show the changes are reversing publisher traffic declines, and Search Engine Land reports Google won't share click data alongside the update. For anyone tracking AI search visibility, this is the clearest signal yet that Google sees publisher and brand pressure as a problem it needs to be seen fixing, even if the underlying traffic picture barely moves.

What changed?

Google rolled out five changes to how links appear inside its AI-generated search results. According to Google's own announcement, users will now see more inline links, a dedicated section for official websites, and visual carousels for news, alongside clickable creator profiles to help people understand the sources behind results.

The detail matters more than the headline. Google increased the number of links shown in AI Mode and AI Overviews, is placing some links higher up in the response, and will show one or two links to the "right web page" for queries that call for it. It is also expanding timely article carousels to more regions and languages, giving related articles more prominent link designs, and testing links from creator and publisher names on videos through to their Search profiles, according to Relevant Audience.

The news carousel sits directly beneath AI-generated summaries. Google will expand this link carousel worldwide, with cards appearing below AI Overviews that show headlines and images for relevant articles, as reported by EWN. Crucially, these carousels favour sites a user has already chosen to trust: the algorithm prioritises articles from websites people have marked as "preferred sources", and it can also draw on relevant social media posts and forum discussions.

Google is also testing clickable names on video results. Android Authority notes that clicking a creator's or publisher's name on a video can now redirect users to that person's Search profile, a feature currently available in the US for creators with a sizeable following.

One figure stands out. Google's Hema Budaraju said on 15 October 2026 that the number of people using Preferred Sources, which lets users pin specific sites for priority treatment in AI results, has grown more than sevenfold since the start of 2026, according to Relevant Audience. Google gave no base figure or methodology behind that number.

Why does this matter for your business?

This update exists because the traffic problem is real and measurable. A report by consultancy Chartbeat, cited by World Today News, found that news publishers saw a 40% drop in traffic from Google between July 2025 and July 2026. That is not a rounding error, it is a structural shift in how people reach websites.

Google does not deny the underlying mechanism. Multiple studies have shown that replacing traditional search results with AI summaries significantly reduces how often users click through to the suggested links, as noted in reporting on the announcement by Geo News. The scale involved is enormous: Alphabet chief executive Sundar Pichai said during the company's second-quarter 2025 results that AI Overviews had more than two billion monthly users across over 200 countries.

Publishers are also pushing back through regulators, not just product requests. In France, a group representing daily newspapers alerted the Competition Authority in August that AI summaries were breaching agreements reached with news publishers in 2022, according to The Daily Star. That regulatory pressure is almost certainly part of why Google is making this update visible rather than quietly testing it.

For brands and founders, the practical implication is twofold. First, being named as a Preferred Source now carries real weight, since it decides whether you appear in the new carousels at all. Second, the expansion into forums and social media means Reddit threads, LinkedIn posts and community discussions are increasingly treated as citable sources alongside your own website. That changes where you need to show up, not just how you write your pages.

What should you do now?

Encourage existing customers and readers to add your site as a Preferred Source, since Google is actively promoting this feature and usage has grown rapidly this year. Check whether your content appears in the kinds of forums and social platforms Google is now pulling into its carousels, because citation sources are widening beyond traditional web pages. And if you publish video content, claim and build out your Search profile now, since clickable creator names are rolling out and early adopters are likely to benefit most from the visibility.

More broadly, this is a reminder that AI visibility is not static. Features change monthly, and what counted as a citation in September may work differently in October. If you haven't checked recently how your brand shows up across AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT and other assistants, it's worth running a free check with Sited's AI visibility audit to see where you currently stand before the next round of changes lands.

Frequently asked questions

Does this mean Google AI Overviews will send more traffic to websites?

Not necessarily yet. Google has added more links and made them more visually prominent, but efforts to drive clicks from AI search continue to fall short of expectations, according to Search Engine Land's analysis, and no click data has been published to confirm an improvement.

What are "Preferred Sources" and why do they matter now?

Preferred Sources is a Google feature that lets users pick specific websites to be prioritised in AI-generated results and carousels. Adoption has grown substantially, with Google reporting more than a sevenfold increase in users of the feature since the start of 2026, according to Relevant Audience.

Is this update live everywhere already?

Some parts are live now, such as the expansion of news carousels to more regions and languages, while others remain tests without a confirmed rollout date, including the official pages section and clickable creator names on video results, as Relevant Audience notes.

Why are publishers still worried despite this update?

Because the underlying traffic decline predates this fix and is substantial. Chartbeat data cited by World Today News shows a 40% year-on-year drop in Google referral traffic to news publishers, and French publishers have already escalated concerns to their national competition authority over AI summary practices.

How does this affect brands outside the news industry?

Even non-publisher brands are affected because the same carousel and citation mechanics apply to product information, reviews and comparison content. If AI systems increasingly draw from forums and social platforms alongside websites, brands need visibility in those spaces too, not just on their own domains.