Developing
Google has not confirmed this as intentional. The measurement covers links in answers, not clicks.
In 60 seconds
- On September 21, 2026 Gagan Ghotra posted a recording of underlined text in an AI Overview that opened AI Mode instead of an external site.
- Peec AI data show AI Overviews containing links in the answer text rose from near zero before September 10 to 26.2% on September 20.
- Google has not said whether this is a deliberate strategy.
- Links to external sites count as clicks in Search Console; links that start a new AI Mode query may count as query refinement and not as clicks.
Impact Layer
- What changed
- Some in-answer links keep the user inside Google instead of sending them to a publisher.
- Why it matters
- If a click inside an AI answer does not leave Google, publishers get less traffic and less measurable data.
- Who is affected
- Publishers, SEO teams and analysts who track AI Overview traffic.
- Martech stack area
- Analytics, SEO & Search
- Stack impact
- Treat AI Overview click data as incomplete, and check Search Console's new AI reports for impressions.
- Business impact
- Moderate Based on one reported recording and a vendor's sample. The data lacks markets, devices and consistent methods, and Google has not commented.
- Related technologies
- Related vendors
- What to watch
- A Google statement, and whether Search Console starts reporting AI Mode handoffs.
ALM Corp reported that on September 21, 2026 Gagan Ghotra posted a recording showing underlined text in a Google AI Overview that behaved like a link but opened AI Mode instead of an external website.
What was measured
Peec AI, an analytics firm, charted how often AI Overviews contain external links inside the answer text. The share rose from near zero until September 10, then sharply, reaching 26.2% on September 20. The analysis measures the presence of links only, not click-through or user behaviour, and lacks detail on markets, devices and whether its method stayed consistent. Google has not confirmed that the behaviour is intentional.
Why it matters for tracking
External links in AI Overviews register as clicks in Search Console when users leave Google. A link that triggers a new query in AI Mode may qualify as “query refinement” and bypass normal click tracking.
Background
In May 2026 Google announced a way to move from AI Overviews to AI Mode. Press Gazette quotes SEO consultant Lily Ray that the new features “will absolutely continue to cut into organic traffic,” while Google says it is “designing these experiences to connect people to the web” and that AI Mode stays optional.
Our read
If a tap inside an answer starts another AI conversation, the user may never reach a publisher, and the publisher may never see it in reports. Treat click data from AI features as incomplete, record impressions from the new Search Console AI reports as a baseline, and wait for Google to say whether the behaviour is deliberate.
Sources
- ALM Corp: Some links in Google AI Overviews open AI Mode instead (opens in a new tab)
Source of the recording, the Peec AI data, the limitations and the Search Console implication.
- Press Gazette: What Google's AI Mode push means for publishers (opens in a new tab)
Context: the May 2026 announcement of the move from AI Overviews to AI Mode and the publisher reactions.