Google moves links higher in AI answers as news publishers report 40pc traffic plunge

Google is making website links more prominent in AI-generated search results as publishers raise concerns over falling referral traffic. — AFP pic

First Published: Friday, 16 Oct 2026 8:51 AM MYT

NEW YORK, Oct 16 — Google announced yesterday it will start displaying links to websites and articles more prominently and higher up in search results powered by artificial intelligence (AI), as brands and news publishers warn of a sharp decline in their traffic.

The Alphabet subsidiary began integrating more AI features in its search results over two years ago.

In May 2024 it launched AI Overviews, where Google generates summarised answers to search queries, rather than only showing links as it historically did.

Then in March 2025 Google added AI Mode which opens in a separate window and provides a more comprehensive answer and more links than AI Overviews.

Now, contextual links will be featured more “more frequently” and higher up in AI-generated search content.

Google will also expand worldwide its link “carousel,” which are cards displayed directly below AI Overviews that show headlines with images for relevant articles.

The algorithm will prioritise articles from sites a user has previously identified as “preferred sources,” and it will also be able to pull in content from relevant social media posts and other forums.

Google will also make links displayed at the end of AI-generated summaries “more engaging and prominent” for users who want to “dig deeper.”

During its second quarter 2025 results, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said that AI Overviews had more than two billion monthly users in over 200 countries.

Several studies have shown that replacing traditional search with AI summaries significantly reduces the rate at which users open the suggested links.

According to a report by consultancy Chartbeat, news website publishers saw a 40 per cent drop in traffic coming from Google between July 2025 and July 2026.

In August, Apig, a group representing daily newspapers in France, alerted the Competition Authority that AI summaries were in breach of agreements reached with news publishers in 2022. — AFP