Some links in Google's AI Overviews now open AI Mode, not a website

When Google answers a search with AI, does the click still reach your website? A small test spotted last month suggests the answer is getting more complicated.

In short: some links inside Google's AI Overviews appear to be opening AI Mode instead of a website. It's a test, not a confirmed change, but it's worth knowing about.

What's changed

On 21 September 2026, SEO consultant Gagan Ghotra shared a short recording of an AI Overview. Underlined text at the bottom looked like a normal link, but clicking it opened a new AI Mode conversation rather than a web page. Search Engine Roundtable reported it the next day and, on 13 October, noted the same behaviour on mobile. Google hasn't commented.

It's one recording, so it doesn't show how common this is. It also builds on a feature Google launched in January 2026, which lets people ask follow-up questions from an AI Overview in AI Mode. At the same time, Google appears to be adding more links to websites. AI tracking company Peec AI found the share of AI Overviews with an external link in its tracked sample rose to 26.2% by 20 September.

What this means for Tasmanian businesses

If more AI answers send people into AI Mode, fewer of those clicks may reach local business websites. There's no data yet showing how much, if at all, that's happening.

Links that start a new Google search don't count as clicks for any website, and it isn't clear how Google counts the links in this test. So some of this activity may not show up in your reports at all.

For a Tassie business, the practical risk is not knowing which AI mentions are bringing in visits.

Our take

This is a test, and Google trials plenty of features that never roll out widely. Still, it suggests Google is looking for ways to keep people in its AI for longer.

That makes measuring enquiries more important than chasing rankings. Search for your main services the way a customer would and note where the links go. Check your Search Console clicks and AI impressions monthly, and track enquiries in Google Analytics.

The businesses that hold up best are the ones with clear service pages, genuine, useful, locally relevant content and an up-to-date Google Business Profile. It's the same thinking behind the web design in Hobart and SEO work we do for the businesses we look after.