Google has announced plans to display links to websites and news articles more prominently in its AI-powered search results, as brands and publishers raise concerns about declining website traffic.
The Alphabet-owned company said on Thursday that contextual links would appear more frequently and higher up in AI-generated search content, making it easier for users to find original sources.
The move comes as Google’s AI-powered search features increasingly provide direct answers to users’ questions, potentially reducing the need to click through to external websites.
Google Expands AI Search Features
Google began integrating artificial intelligence into its search results more than two years ago.
In May 2024, the company launched AI Overviews, which generate summarised answers to search queries instead of relying solely on the traditional list of website links.
In March 2025, Google introduced AI Mode, a separate search experience that provides more comprehensive answers and includes additional links compared with AI Overviews.
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Under the latest changes, Google will expand its use of contextual links and introduce more prominent links within AI-generated responses.
The company will also roll out its link carousel worldwide. The feature displays cards containing headlines and images from relevant articles directly below AI Overviews.
Google’s algorithm will prioritise articles from websites users have identified as preferred sources. It will also incorporate relevant content from social media posts and online forums.
Additionally, links appearing at the end of AI-generated summaries will become more engaging and prominent, helping users who want to explore topics in greater detail.
Google AI Search Results Face Publisher Concerns
The changes come amid growing concerns that AI-generated answers are reducing traffic to news websites and other online publishers.
During Alphabet’s second-quarter 2025 earnings results, chief executive Sundar Pichai said AI Overviews had more than two billion monthly users across more than 200 countries.
However, several studies have found that users are less likely to open suggested links when search engines provide answers directly through AI-generated summaries.
According to a report by consultancy Chartbeat, news publishers recorded a 40 per cent decline in traffic from Google between July 2025 and July 2026.
The reported decline has intensified concerns among publishers that changes to search technology could undermine their ability to attract readers and generate revenue.
French Newspaper Publishers Raise Concerns
In August, Apig, a group representing daily newspapers in France, alerted the country’s Competition Authority over Google’s AI-generated summaries.
The group argued that the summaries breached agreements reached with news publishers in 2022.
The dispute highlights the growing tension between search platforms adopting AI technology and publishers seeking to protect the value of their original reporting.
Google’s latest changes could improve the visibility of external sources in AI-generated responses, although their impact on publishers’ website traffic remains to be seen.
