Google adds more links to AI Overviews as Preferred Sources usage grows 7x
lilyraynyc · x · 2026-10-16
Google search liaison Danny Sullivan announced a batch of updates to AI Overviews and AI Mode aimed at driving more outbound clicks:
- More inline links embedded directly in responses
- A new prominent section highlighting the 1-2 links needed to complete a task
- News carousels rolling out globally
Usage of Preferred Sources, which lets users pick sites they want to hear from, has grown 7x since the start of the year. SEO veteran Lily Ray noted these are long-standing SEO community requests but questioned whether users will actually click, and renewed calls for better AI traffic tracking in Search Console — "we all already know CTRs will be low."
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