Understanding how AI impacts on Google’s Search results website traffic has become a top priority for creators and businesses alike. The company has recently been under fire for allegations of traffic drops resulting from AI-powered summaries. In a move to address these concerns, Google is now making links in AI Overviews and its conversational AI Mode much more obvious to users in a move aiming to boost site traffic.
Google updates AI Search results to make source links more prominent
The most noticeable change is coming to desktop users. Now, when you hover your mouse over a cited source in an AI Overview or AI Mode, a pop-up card will appear. Instead of just a tiny footnote, you’ll see the article’s headline, a brief description, and even a preview image.
This “hover preview” mimics how links work on social media platforms. The goal is to give readers enough context to realize that the original article has more to offer, hopefully encouraging them to click through to the source. According to Robby Stein, Google’s VP of Search, internal testing shows that this new interface is “more engaging.” He also claims that it makes it easier for people to discover new content across the web.
Descriptive icons and mobile tweaks
It isn’t just about desktop hovers. Google is also rolling out “more descriptive and prominent” link icons that will appear on both desktop and mobile devices. This is a significant move, as mobile users account for the majority of search traffic, and citations often get lost on smaller screens.
According to The Verge, these updates apply to both the standard AI Overviews and the more conversational AI Mode. The latter represents Google’s push toward a ChatGPT-style experience, where the search engine acts more like a dialogue partner than a simple list of results.
A peace offering to publishers?
The timing of this update is no accident. Data suggests that AI summaries can have a big effect on organic click-through rates. Some reports say that an AI summary can make the traffic to the top organic result drop by up to 40%. Furthermore, the European Commission has been investigating whether Google’s use of publisher content without “appropriate compensation” violates competition rules.
By making links prettier and more visible, Google is trying to find a middle ground. The company needs to provide the instant, AI-driven answers that users now expect, but it also needs to keep the web alive. Without the articles, blogs, and news sites that train these AI models, the search engine would eventually run out of fresh information.
For now, this UI refresh serves as a bit of damage control. Whether these “prominent icons” actually lead to more revenue for creators remains to be seen. At least it’s a sign that Google knows it can’t afford a total publisher revolt.
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