On 15 October 2026, Google announced a set of changes to AI Overviews and AI Mode that put more focus on the websites behind each answer. Source links will appear more often and higher in responses. Google is also testing a section that highlights official websites, expanding news carousels, making related-article links more visible, and linking creator names to their Search profiles.

For B2B companies, this is a useful shift. The question is no longer only “does AI mention us?” but “does AI link to us, and is our page the one it picks?” This guide explains what changed and the practical steps that make your pages better candidates for those links.

What Google changed on 15 October

Google’s announcement covers five changes. Some are rolling out and some are still tests:

ChangeWhat it meansStatus
More inline linksMore source links inside AI responses, placed higher more oftenRolling out
Official-site sectionA section at the top of some responses listing the official page for a task, with a short note on why it helpsTesting
News carouselsCarousels of timely articles that prioritise each user’s Preferred Sources, now in more countries and languagesRolling out
Related article linksLinks at the end of some responses get thumbnails and a more clickable designRolling out
Creator profile linksCreator and publisher names on video results in AI Mode link to their Search profilesTesting

Google also said use of Preferred Sources has grown more than sevenfold since the start of the year. That figure comes from Google’s announcement, not from independent data.

Why this matters for B2B websites

B2B buyers use AI answers to learn about a problem, compare approaches and build a shortlist. Until now, many of those answers gave a summary with few obvious paths to the source. More visible links create more chances for a buyer to click through to your site at the moment they are researching.

It also raises the bar. If more links are shown, buyers will compare the pages behind them. The page that answers the question most clearly, with evidence, is the one that earns the click and the follow-up visit.

What Google says you need to appear

Google’s documentation is simple: a page can be shown as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode if it is indexed and eligible to appear in Search with a snippet. There is no special AI markup or file to add. Google also does not guarantee that any page will be shown. In practice, that means the work is good SEO done well, aimed at the questions buyers ask.

1. Check that Google can crawl and index your key pages

Confirm that robots.txt, your CDN and your firewall do not block Googlebot. Use the URL Inspection tool in Search Console on your most important product, solution and guide pages. Also check that you have not added nosnippet or a very low max-snippet value by mistake, as these limit what Google can show.

2. Write pages that answer one clear question each

Inline links point to the specific page that supports a specific statement. A page titled “Solutions” rarely wins that link. A page that clearly answers “How long does a SOC 2 Type II audit take for a 200-person SaaS company?” has a much better chance. Put the direct answer near the top, then add the detail, examples and caveats underneath.

3. Make your official pages unmistakable

The official-site test is aimed at queries where one or two official sites are the right answer, such as a product’s pricing, documentation, login or support. Make sure those pages exist, are easy to find through internal links, and use clear titles such as “[Product] pricing” or “[Product] API documentation”. Keep your company details consistent across your site, Google Business Profile and other profiles. Organization structured data can help, as long as it matches what the page shows.

4. Give buyers a reason to click

A link only matters if people choose it. Include things an AI summary cannot fully replace: original data, worked examples, calculators, templates, comparison tables and customer stories. Use a strong, relevant image on articles, because related-article links now show thumbnails.

5. Build your presence as a source and a creator

If you publish industry news or research, encourage readers to add your site as a Preferred Source, since the expanded news carousels prioritise those choices. If your team publishes video, check whether you are eligible to set up a Search profile, because AI Mode is testing links from creator names to those profiles. Named experts with consistent bios across your site and other platforms also make your content easier to trust.

6. Keep text, images and structured data in agreement

Google recommends keeping important content in text, supporting it with good images and video, and making sure structured data matches the visible text. Pages where the markup says one thing and the page says another give systems a reason to doubt them.

How to measure the impact

Google says traffic from AI features is included in the Search Console Performance report under the “Web” search type. It is not shown as a separate line there, so combine a few signals:

  • Search Console: watch clicks and impressions for the pages and question-style queries you are targeting, comparing periods before and after mid-October 2026.
  • Analytics: track engagement and conversions from organic search landing pages, not just sessions.
  • Prompt checks: run a fixed set of buyer questions in AI Overviews and AI Mode on a regular schedule, and note whether your pages are linked, not just whether your brand is named.
  • Sales feedback: ask new leads how they found you, and include AI search as an option.

Some of these features are tests and will roll out unevenly, so expect results to vary by query, country and account. Look at trends over weeks, not single days.

What not to do

  • Do not publish large numbers of thin pages to chase links. Google’s spam policies cover scaled, low-value content.
  • Do not add “AI files” or special markup expecting a boost. Google says none is required.
  • Do not assume blocking Google-Extended removes you from AI Overviews. Google lists it as a control for other Google AI systems; Search features are controlled through normal Search tools such as robots.txt and snippet settings.

Quick checklist

  • Key pages are crawlable, indexed and allowed to show snippets.
  • Each priority buyer question has one clear page that answers it.
  • Official pages (pricing, docs, support) are clearly titled and linked.
  • Articles include original evidence and a relevant image.
  • Structured data matches the visible page.
  • A fixed prompt set tracks links as well as mentions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next step

Want to know whether AI Overviews and AI Mode link to your pages today, and which competitors they link to instead? An AI visibility audit gives you a baseline before these changes fully roll out.

Start with an AI visibility audit →

Sources and verification notes

Details of the update come from Google’s announcement of 15 October 2026. Some features are tests, and Google did not give country-by-country dates. The steps and checklist are operational recommendations, not survey data or audited client results. The example query is illustrative.

  1. Google: AI Mode and AI Overviews updates to explore the web (15 October 2026)
  2. Google: AI features and your website
  3. Google: Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content
  4. Google: Organization structured data
  5. Google: Spam policies for Google web search

Want to see how your brand ranks in ChatGPT right now?

Run a free AI Visibility Audit to see where your business appears across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity—and where competitors are being recommended instead.

Get Your Free AI Visibility Audit