Google is adding hover link pop-ups on desktop in AI Overviews and AI Mode, announced Robby Stein, Vice President of Google Search. Better link visibility within AI-generated responses has been a long-standing demand from the tech community and users alike.
“In AI Overviews and AI Mode, groups of links will automatically appear in a pop-up as you hover over them on desktop, so you can jump straight into a website to learn more. We will also show more descriptive and prominent link icons within the response across both desktop and mobile,” said Stein on X, formerly Twitter. “Our testing shows this new UI is more engaging, making it easier to reach quality content across the web.”
With AI Overviews, an AI-generated summary appears at the top of the Search page, while AI Mode offers a chatbot-style search experience. However, users do not always click on links to visit the original websites, leading to declining traffic for publishers.
Last year, the European Commission began investigating the company’s AI search features, including whether Google breached competition rules by using content from digital publishers in its AI responses without appropriate compensation.
“A free and democratic society depends on diverse media, open access to information, and a vibrant creative landscape. These values are central to who we are as Europeans,” said Teresa Ribera of the European Commission at the time.
Google has continued to roll out updates to address these concerns, with hover link pop-ups being the latest move to drive traffic back to original sources.