Google is putting more links back into its AI answers. On 15 October, Hema Budaraju, Google’s vice president of product management, announced that links will appear more often and higher up in AI Mode and AI Overviews. She also announced a trial that puts official websites at the very top of some responses.
For anyone whose website depends on being found, that is welcome news. But it is not a return to the old page of ten blue links. It is a sign that the organisations AI search trusts and cites will win most of the clicks that are left.
That matters most for organisations people turn to for the definitive answer. A student asking how to become a Chartered Accountant, or a conference organiser asking which European city can host a 2,000-delegate congress, may now get a full answer without ever seeing a traditional results page. Here is what changed, and what membership bodies and destinations should do about it.
What actually changed
Google’s update is a set of five changes to how AI Mode and AI Overviews point people to websites. Three are rolling out now. Two are tests, with no confirmed date or market for a wider release.
| Change | Status | What it means for you |
| Inline links appear higher and more often | Rolling out | Key sources become clickable at the point a reader meets them, not tucked away at the end |
| An official pages section at the top of some answers | Test | When a task’s answer lives on one or two official sites, those links sit above the answer with a short note on why they help |
| News carousels in more countries and languages | Rolling out | Timely articles appear in a carousel that favours each reader’s Preferred Sources |
| Redesigned links at the end of responses | Rolling out | Related links get image thumbnails and a more clickable layout |
| Clickable creator and publisher names on video results | Test | Tapping a name opens a profile page hosted by Google, before anyone reaches your own site |
Google says the number of people choosing Preferred Sources has grown more than sevenfold since the start of 2026. Details: BetaNews and Relevant Audience.
More links does not mean more clicks
The update is welcome, but the evidence on clicks is sobering. A randomised field experiment by Saharsh Agarwal and Ananya Sen, published in April 2026, found that AI Overviews cut outbound organic clicks by 39.8% and raised zero-click searches by 34.5% (MediaCat UK). The researchers suggested AI Mode could reduce traffic to websites even further.
AI Mode is no longer a side experiment either. Google reported at I/O in May 2026 that it had passed one billion monthly users, and its own figures show AI Mode queries average three times the length of a traditional search (PPC Land).
You also still cannot see the clicks. Search Console’s generative AI performance reports, launched on 3 June 2026, show impressions, pages, countries, devices and dates, but no click data. Google says more metrics will follow, without giving a date.
So the real lesson is this: in AI search, a link is only valuable if you are the source the answer is built on. More links means more chances to be that source. It does not guarantee more traffic.
What membership bodies should do
Membership bodies are the official source for a lot of questions. How do I qualify? What CPD do I need this year? How do I renew my practising certificate? Google’s official pages test is built for exactly these tasks, so make it easy for Google to recognise your page as the one that completes them.
- Give every core task one definitive page. Routes to membership, exam dates, fees, CPD rules and practising certificates each need a single, current, clearly titled page. Retire or redirect the old PDFs and news posts that compete with it.
- Answer the question in the first paragraph. Lead with a plain, quotable answer, then the detail. AI systems lift clear answers and link to where they found them.
- Mark it up. Use structured data for your organisation, courses, events and FAQs, so machines can read who you are and what you offer.
- Keep a public summary of gated content. If research, guidance or member resources sit behind a login, publish an open summary that AI can cite. Members still log in for the full version.
- Put your experts on record. Named authors, member stories, podcasts and video carry the first-hand perspective Google says it wants to surface. Publish transcripts alongside audio and video.
- Ask your audience to choose you. If you publish news or commentary, invite members to add you as a Preferred Source in Google. Those choices now shape the new news carousels.
What destinations and convention bureaus should do
Destination questions are long, specific and multi-part, which is exactly what AI Mode is built for. “Which European city has a 3,000-seat venue, direct flights from Chicago and a strong sustainability record?” is now a single prompt. Your job is to make sure your facts are the ones in the answer.
- Publish the facts planners ask for, in one place. Venue capacities, hotel room stock, air access, transfer times, sustainability credentials and support schemes belong on clear, current web pages, not only in a downloadable brochure.
- Be unmistakably official. A convention bureau or tourism board is the official source for its destination. Make that obvious with consistent naming, clear organisational information and structured data for places, venues and events.
- Keep your facts consistent everywhere. AI draws on partner sites, listings, industry press and review platforms. If your capacity figures or bid support differ across those sources, the answer will be vague or wrong.
- Invest in original imagery. The redesigned links at the end of AI responses now carry thumbnails. Strong, original photography with descriptive alt text gives people a reason to choose your link over the one beside it.
- Treat video as search content. Creator and publisher names on video results are becoming clickable. Publish destination and venue video under one official channel name, with descriptions and transcripts that answer real planner questions.
- Write for the shortlist, not the ranking. AI answers often name a handful of options. Case studies, delegate numbers and feedback from past events help you become one of them.
A one-hour AI search visibility check
You do not need a new toolset to get started. Set aside an hour this week for these five checks.
- Run your own prompts. Ask AI Mode the ten questions your members or visitors ask most often. Note who gets cited and linked, and whether the facts are right.
- Open the generative AI report in Search Console. It is still rolling out, but if your property has it, see which pages already appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode, and in which countries.
- Compare impressions with traffic. Pages with strong AI impressions but weak visits may need a clearer reason to click, such as a tool, a booking form or the full guidance.
- Find your official answer gaps. List the tasks only you can complete, such as joining, renewing, booking or bidding, and check each one has a single clear page.
- Track AI referrals. Set up a channel in your analytics for visits from AI assistants, so you can see this traffic grow over time.
The bottom line
Google’s 15 October changes are a step in the right direction for anyone who publishes on the web. But those links go to the sources AI already trusts. For membership bodies and destinations, that means being clear, current, consistent and unmistakably official.
At Big Top Multimedia, we help membership organisations and destination marketers understand how they show up in AI search, and what to fix first. If you’d like a second pair of eyes on your AI search visibility, get in touch with the team.
This post was drafted with AI assistance, then fact-checked, reviewed and edited by the Big Top Multimedia team.
