Google AI Overviews Show More External Links, But Some Open AI Mode Instead of Websites

New observations from two independent researchers, published on September 21, 2026, show that the number of external links embedded within Google AI Overview answer text has risen sharply since early September, while at least one instance has been recorded in which clicking a link-styled phrase inside an AI Overview opens a query in AI Mode rather than navigating to an external website.

Peec AI Chart: External Links in AI Overviews Rise to 26%

Malte Landwehr of Peec AI, an AI search analytics company, posted a chart on September 21 showing the share of AI Overviews that contain an external link within their answer text, based on daily averages from August 25 to September 20, 2026. According to the chart, the figure started near zero from August 25 to September 10, then rose sharply at a point marked "11 Sep," before reaching 26.2% on September 20. Landwehr captioned the post: "Google massively increased the number of external links within AI Overview answers."

The chart does not specify the number of queries or AI Overviews sampled, the markets or devices involved, how frequently queries were run, or how Peec determines whether a link is part of the answer text, a citation card, or an end-of-response suggestion. When asked in replies whether the query set remained consistent, Landwehr noted that if any prompts changed, "it was a small percentage." The article reporting on the chart notes that the sharp rise on September 11 could reflect a change on Google's end or a change in data collection methods, and that the chart alone is not enough to determine which.

Landwehr also speculated, in the thread, that Google may be training people to click links in AI Overviews and that "over time more and more links will become links redirecting users to AI Mode." Search Engine Journal characterized this as his speculation, and noted he labeled current AI Overview-to-AI Mode links as something that "already exist today."

Ghotra Recording: A Link That Opens AI Mode

Separately, SEO professional Gagan Ghotra posted an 18-second recording on September 21 showing him clicking on bold, underlined text within an AI Overview. Rather than navigating to a webpage, the click opened a query in AI Mode. Ghotra wrote that Google "is now testing" these anchor links and described them as "another tactic" to move users from standard search results to AI Mode.

The recording establishes what occurred in one search session. It does not indicate how widely the element appears, whether it replaced an external link, or what effect it has on clicks. Search Engine Journal noted that the behavior — opening a query in AI Mode from an AI Overview — has existed on mobile since January 2026, when Google introduced a follow-up question feature.

Google's Link Updates Since August 2025

Google has made several documented changes to how links appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode. In August 2025, Robby Stein, VP of Product at Google Search, stated that the company's main goal for AI Mode was to display more inline links and added link carousels on desktop. On January 27, 2026, Stein wrote that users can "ask a follow-up question right from an AI Overview, and jump into a conversational back and forth with AI Mode," calling it "one fluid experience with prominent links to continue exploring," available on mobile globally.

On February 17, 2026, Stein said groups of links would appear in a pop-up on desktop when a user hovers over them in AI Overviews and AI Mode, with more descriptive link icons on desktop and mobile. Google's testing, he wrote, showed the new interface was "more engaging, making it easier to get to great content across the web."

On May 6, 2026, Hema Budaraju, Vice President of Product Management for Search, described five updates to AI Mode and AI Overviews, including inline links appearing alongside relevant text, end-of-response article suggestions, subscription-labeled links, previews of public discussions with clickable community links, and hover previews for inline links on desktop. Google shared that early testing showed people were "significantly more likely to click links that were labeled as their subscriptions," though no specific figures were provided. The May post did not include counts for the five features, specify affected markets, or give a timeline for completion.

On June 3, 2026, Google said it had increased the number of inline links within AI responses and was continuing to experiment with a range of new link designs in its AI experiences.

How Search Console Counts — and Does Not Count — These Interactions

Google Search Console's help documentation states that "Clicking a link to an external page in the AI Overview counts as a click." However, the same documentation defines a query refinement link as one that performs a new Google query, noting that "If a link is a query refinement link, clicks and impressions are not counted for that link."

Search Engine Journal reported that it is not clear from available documentation whether the element in Ghotra's recording — underlined text inside an AI Overview that opens AI Mode — is classified by Google as a query refinement link. If it is, clicks on it would not be counted for any external site.

Google's generative AI performance report, which shows impressions from AI Overviews and AI Mode grouped by page, country, date, or device, was rolled out to all sites worldwide on August 31, 2026. The report does not include clicks or click-through rates. As Search Engine Journal explained, combining the generative AI report's impressions with the overall Performance report's clicks does not produce a meaningful click-through rate for AI features, because the two reports measure different things.

Google's AI features help page states that with AI Overviews, "people have been visiting a greater diversity of websites for help with more complex questions," but provides no supporting figures for that claim.

What Remains Unknown

Several questions remain open. Peec's chart covers a single link display type in an unspecified sample, and the September 11 inflection point is not definitively linked to a Google change. Google's May announcement stated that users would see more inline links but gave no quantities, affected markets, or timeline. It is also unclear whether what Peec measures reflects the May update, a later change, or a separate development. Ghotra's recording is a single instance, and Google's help pages do not clarify how often the observed element appears or how Search Console classifies it.