Google AI Overview Links Pushing Users Into AI Mode

Free Instant SEO Audit

Search path diverting into AI Mode through AI Overview links on Google

By NewSunSEO September 23, 2026

What the Test Looks Like

At the bottom of an AI Overview answer, Google is placing ordinary-looking anchor links. A user who clicks one does not leave the search results or arrive at a publisher’s website. The click opens a follow-up question in AI Mode, keeping the entire session inside Google’s generative interface.

Screen recordings show the links sitting among the usual AI Overview citations and related queries. A mouse cursor hovering over two of the links reveals that their destination is not a URL to an external site. Selecting either one triggers an AI Mode conversation that builds on the original answer.

Why This Matters for Publishers and Search Marketers

AI Overviews have already changed how many searchers find information, but links inside those answers have generally pointed to web pages. Even a lower click-through rate still gives a site some chance of a visit.

When every link in an answer routes into AI Mode, the AI Overview becomes a closed loop. The searcher gets follow-up answers generated by Google, while the web page that supplied the underlying information may receive no visit at all. For publishers that depend on organic search traffic, that is a meaningful shift in the value of being cited.

SEO work has traditionally ended with a page earning a visible position. In this format, earning a citation inside an AI answer may not produce a click at all. The measurement question changes from "where does the page rank" to "does any user ever reach the page."

What We Know and What Is Unclear

The behavior has been documented on X in a video and a static screenshot. The links shown are part of a test, meaning only some searches, some accounts, or some regions may see them. Google has not published details about how widely the test runs or how long it will last.

Several details remain open. It is not clear whether the links always appear at the bottom of an AI Overview or can appear mid-answer. It is also not clear whether the follow-up question in AI Mode sources its answer from the same web pages that informed the original AI Overview.

The test appears to be part of a pattern in which Google expands the answer experience within AI Mode and reduces the steps between a question and its generated response.

What Sites Can Do While the Test Runs

One practical response is to track AI-generated search results alongside traditional rankings. A page may rank well for a query and still lose the click if the AI answer resolves the query without a visit. Knowing which pages Google cites inside AI answers, and how often those citations produce visits, helps a team decide where effort should go.

Another step is to keep pages worthy of being cited in the first place. AI Overviews pull from content that directly answers a question, is clearly structured, and is easy for a system to extract. A page built around a specific query with a direct answer remains more likely to appear as a source than a page that buries the point.

For teams that want visibility into where their pages rank across a service area, SEOScanPRO’s GEO Grids show rank position mapped by location rather than as one city-wide average. That matters when a test like this changes where a click can come from.

FAQ

Are the links inside AI Overviews taking users away from websites?

In the test documented on X, some links inside AI Overview answers open a follow-up question in Google AI Mode instead of sending the user to an external web page. The links look like normal anchor links but keep the user inside Google’s interface.

Is Google replacing web links in AI Overviews with AI Mode links?

Google is testing the behavior, not announcing a permanent replacement. The links shown in the video and screenshot are part of a limited test. It is unknown how many searches, accounts, or regions currently see them.

How can publishers tell if AI Overview links are sending users to their site?

Publishers can compare search impressions and AI Overview appearances with actual referral traffic. If a page is cited in an AI answer but receives little or no click traffic, that is a signal the answer is resolving the query without a visit.