Google is testing a new linking behavior within its AI Overviews, a move that’s sparking debate within the online publishing community and among SEO professionals.
The core change? Many of the prominent links inside these AI-powered summaries are now directing users back to new Google Search queries, as opposed to primarily linking to the external websites providing the original information.
Meanwhile, Google is currently testing a new AI Mode, currently only available to Google One AI Premium users via Search Labs, which allows for purely AI-driven search results that replace traditional links with AI-generated answers.
A Shift in Linking Priorities
This internal linking tactic was first brought to light by Sachin Patel who shared a video demonstrating this new approach on X.
The visuals clearly show underlined text links—located at both the top and in the middle of the AI Overview—that, when clicked, initiate a fresh Google search query, further refining the initial search.
This differs significantly from the smaller link icons also present in AI Overviews, which do connect users to external publisher sites.
Google AI Overview appears with an underline, and when clicked, it redirects with a new query.@rustybrick @gaganghotra_ @brodieseo pic.twitter.com/Y6Df6bfxgn
— Sachin Patel (@SachuPatel53124) March 17, 2025
The shift raises a fundamental question: Are AI Overviews genuinely designed to help users discover diverse sources, or are they evolving into a tool to keep users engaged primarily within Google’s own search environment?
Google had previously talked about a focus of the AI features to “prominently surfaces relevant links to help people find web pages and content they may not have discovered before.”This move towards increased self-referential linking seems to directly contradict that stated purpose.
These AI-generated search result features, according to multiple sources, are becoming increasingly prevalent. These summaries now appear in nearly a quarter of news-related searches, and in some cases, can be present in up to 84% of queries.
Google maintains that links within AI Overviews garner more clicks than a standard web listing would for the same page, although the company has not released specific data to support this claim.
Publisher Impact and Transparency Concerns
Förgreningarna av denna förändring kan vara betydande för online-utgivare. Concerns already existed regarding AI Overviews and their effect on website traffic.
Previous reporting indicated a documented drop in click-through rates (CTR) from Google Search to external websites because of the inclusion of AI Overviews.
One study even showed a potential 8.9% decrease in clicks for URLs cited within AI Overviews. The concern now is whether users will actively choose to click on links leading to publishers’ content when presented with more easily accessible options to remain within Google’s search environment.
American education technology company Chegg has already lämnade in en stämning Mot Google, påstod trafik-och intäktsförluster som tillskrivs AI-översikter. In the UK, some publishers experienced a 5% to 10% traffic drop after the AI Overview roll-out, with one specialist publisher reporting losses of up to 50%.
The issue is further complicated by a lack of data transparency. Publishers are struggling to fully assess the impact of AI Overviews, because Google reportedly doesn’t offer separate click-through data for these features within Google Analytics or Google Search Console.
By predominantly linking back to its own search results, Google could potentially increase its internal search volume and ad income for the search results page. Whether this ultimately serves the user’s best interests or primarily bolsters Google’s own metrics remains a point of open debate.
Google’s Response and Quality Control
Responding to concerns about Google’s upcoming AI Mode, Google’s VP of Product at Google Search, Robby Stein, emphasized a commitment to facilitating user access to external sites, stating that further user interface updates are in development.
Google VP — the one who authored the announcement of “AI Mode”— on how they’re handling concerns from publishers. 👇 https://t.co/eqxjnwzmio
-Mike futia (@mikefutia) 7 mars 2025
