More Links Are Coming to AI Overviews

"Per the report, zero-click searches in the U.S. declined from 24.5% in December 2025 to 22.4% in March. Organic click-throughs increased from 42.0% to 44.9%. Moreover, a May 6 update from Google announced more forthcoming links in AI Overviews and AI Mode to help searchers "explore relevant websites, deep insights, and original content.""

"The new links, according to the update, cite (i) trustworthy authors and brands, including social media discussions and (ii) in-depth articles and analyses for "further reading." Google will also disclose the name and title of the linked source, as well as whether the searcher is a paid subscriber, if necessary to access."

"While helpful, the new links cannot replace the drastic decline of organic search traffic to virtually all websites. AI Overviews is here to stay. As a reminder, links in AI Overviews appear in Search Console's Performance reports with an average position of 1. Keep an eye on the pages ranking for new queries in this section, which links to content covering "different facets of a topic.""

"I've seen no plans from Google to add separate Search Console reports for AI Overviews and AI Mode, despite the update. The update tells us: Google continues experimenting with AI Overviews and seems willing to encourage more clicks. The new "further reading" section offers an opportunity to produce data-driven reports and studies. User-generated content and social media discussions have increased visibility in AI Overviews."

Zero-click search results in the U.S. declined from 24.5% in December 2025 to 22.4% in March, while organic click-throughs increased from 42.0% to 44.9%. Data from desktop searchers in the U.S. and Europe was analyzed across March 2025 to March 2026. Google announced additional links in AI Overviews and AI Mode to help searchers explore relevant websites, deep insights, and original content. The links are intended to cite trustworthy authors and brands, including social media discussions, and to provide in-depth articles and analyses for further reading. Google will disclose the linked source’s name and title and whether the searcher is a paid subscriber when needed.

Read at Practical Ecommerce