# Google boosts news and link visibility in AI mode

> Google displays news links higher in AI search results as publishers report traffic drops.
- Title: Google boosts news and link visibility in AI mode · Dawn
- Summary: Google displays news links higher in AI search results as publishers report traffic drops. Google will show news links more prominently in AI search results…
- Keywords: google, ai search, news publishers, traffic drop, ai overviews, ai mode, link carousel, news, politics, boosts, link, visibility
- Source: Dawn — https://dawn.com/news/2037556/google-boosts-news-and-link-visibility-in-ai-mode
- Author: AFP
- Published: 2026-10-16T06:34:41+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: google, ai search, news publishers, traffic drop, ai overviews, ai mode, link carousel, news, politics
## Google announces AI search changes
Google will start displaying links to websites and articles more prominently and higher up in search results powered by artificial intelligence.
## AI Overviews launched in May 2024
Google launched AI Overviews in may 2024 where it generates summarised answers to search queries rather than only showing links.
## AI Mode added in March 2025
Google added AI Mode in march 2025 which opens in a separate window and provides more comprehensive answers and links than AI Overviews.
## Contextual links feature
Google will feature contextual links more frequently and higher up in ai-generated search content for users wanting to dig deeper.
## Link carousel expansion
Google will expand its link carousel worldwide showing headlines with images for relevant articles below ai overviews.
## Preferred sources prioritised
The algorithm will prioritise articles from sites users have identified as preferred sources and pull content from social media and forums.
## Traffic drop for publishers
News publishers saw a 40 per cent drop in traffic from google between july 2025 and july 2026.
## France reports breach
Apig, a group representing daily newspapers in france, alerted the competition authority that ai summaries breached agreements with news publishers.
## AI Overviews users
Alphabet ceo sundar pichai reported ai overviews had more than two billion monthly users in over 200 countries.
## User engagement drop
Studies show replacing traditional search with ai summaries reduces the rate at which users open suggested links.
## Google's next steps
Google will make links displayed at the end of ai-generated summaries more engaging and prominent for users wanting to dig deeper.
## Key takeaway

Google will show news links more prominently in AI search results after a 40% traffic decline for publishers.