Google insists AI isn't killing traffic, yet it's changing AI Mode - here's how

Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Google says AI Mode hunt results volition amusement much website links.
• Google volition amusement much "useful" links, but nary explanation given.
• Google besides says AI Overviews isn't reducing wide web traffic.

Google is experimenting with much ways to promote users to travel links with applicable information.

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According to an X thread from Robby Stein, VP of Product for Google Search, Google is tinkering with methods to show much links successful AI Mode hunt queries, and helium explains the caller nexus displays that users whitethorn encounter.

Improving placement of hyperlinks

Stein says that users are much apt to click links that are embedded wrong AI Mode responses erstwhile they privation much information. He says nexus carousels are disposable successful AI Mode connected desktop and volition beryllium disposable connected mobile soon, without a circumstantial timeframe.

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According to Stein, Google is preparing exemplary updates to amended the placement of hyperlinks to websites wrong AI Mode substance responses. He says Google trains the exemplary to recognize wherever and erstwhile users are astir apt to privation to excavation deeper into a query, and the semipermanent extremity is to embed much links wrong an AI response.

Expanding Web Guide

Finally, Stein says Google is expanding its Web Guide experimentation successful Google Labs, aiming to "intelligently surfacing and organizing the astir utile web links with AI -- adjacent for your hardest queries."

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It's unclear precisely however Google deems a website's accusation "useful" capable to beryllium displayed wrong an AI Mode query summary, and Google does not stock with publishers however overmuch postulation is coming from AI Mode summary nexus clicks.

Stein's X thread comes 3 weeks aft Liz Reid, VP and caput of Google Search, wrote a blog post explaining that Google Search postulation trends person remained unchanged by AI Overviews, a abstracted AI Google Search tool. Whether oregon not that is true, AI Overviews presently displays considerably much links to sources than AI Mode.

She says third-party studies that exemplify the other are flawed, isolated, oregon based connected an incorrect timeframe.