Google adds more links to AI Mode and AI Overviews

On October 15, 2026, Google announced five changes to AI Mode and AI Overviews: links in answers are more prominent and appear higher, an 'official sites' block is being tested, news carousels expand to more regions and languages, and creator profiles become clickable. Preferred Sources usage has grown more than sevenfold since the start of the year.

• Links in AI answers now appear higher and more often
• A dedicated official-sites block is being tested at the top
• News carousels expand to more regions and languages
• Preferred Sources usage grew more than 7x since early 2026