Google adds more external links to AI overviews, but not all lead to web pages
google has been tweaking the links that appear in its ai overviews. recent posts from peec ai and gagan ghotra show that the share of ai overviews that include an external link in the answer text has risen to 26.2% as of september 20, 2026, up from near zero in late august. the data comes from a daily average between august 25 and september 20. the posts also highlight a new type of link that…
Key points
- peec ai chart shows external links in ai overviews rose to 26.2% between aug 25 and sept 20, 2026.
- google introduced anchor links that open ai mode instead of external sites, tested on mobile since january.
- google’s product updates include inline link carousels, hover previews, and subscription‑labelled links, but no click‑through data released.
Google AI Overviews Have More Links, But Not All Reach The Web via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern
Search Engine Journal · 25 September 2026
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