Robby Stein, the vice president of Google Search, published a post on X to announce the next change to Google AI Overviews.
He posted that AI overviews and AI mode will see more links as a group. These links will automatically appear in popup boxes. All you need is to hover them on a desktop. From there, you can access websites.
Google is making this change amid rising concern among publisher communities that AI Overviews and AI mode will eliminate the need for websites.
Robby said that Google will show more descriptive and prominent links as icons within the generated response. The new feature is accessible on both mobile and desktop.
This way, Google will change the way links appear in Desktop and Mobile AI Overviews and AI mode search.
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Google Display More Links in AI Overviews and AI Mode:
The hover link popups feature will try to pacify publishers. These links will be placed in prominent places where engagement is expected. Both AI overviews and AI mode will display links as icons.
Google is testing UI to ensure more engaging content and link placement.
Why Link Placement Matters for Publishers:
Since the origin of AI overviews publishers worry that it will attract all the organic traffic, and links will be reduced significantly. But Google debunked this myth for now.
Major publishers like Pew, SEJ, and eAskme have seen a drop in organic CTR. In some cases, AI overviews have decreased organic traffic from 1% to 19%.
Google has been making changes to deal with this issue. Google does not want to remove publishers from its business operations. In August 2025, Stein said that Google will display more links in AI overviews. And in February 2026, he announced that Google is already working in this direction.
The hover-over pop-up is a great addition to AI Overviews and AI Mode. It will give publishers better chances to attract organic traffic.
Note: Users will only choose to visit the link if they need more information. Also, the links in the first position in the hover-over-popup will attract more traffic.
The engaging description will help users notice the link placements. It is yet to be seen how much traffic potential these link placements have.
What Should Publishers Do?
Publishers should follow the content-based writing and marketing practices. Share detailed solutions through the content pages.
Target AI ranking to increase link visibility in AI overviews and AI mode.
If you do not know how to rank in AI Mode, then read this guide.
Conclusion:
Link visibility in Google Search is the only way publishers attract organic traffic. While AI Overviews and AI mode offer a detailed explanation of user queries, the hover-over link placements increase the chances of attracting traffic from users looking for more information.
My view is that this type of placement will help publishers in AI Overviews as the results are not very descriptive. But in AI Mode, users get detailed solutions, so it is not easy to attract much traffic without adding unique value.
Also, the visitor’s choice to open the link depends on whether they are satisfied with the information available in AI Overviews and AI mode or not.
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