Google Moves Links Higher in AI Mode as Publishers Report 40% Traffic Drop
Google is finally doing something about the link problem in AI search. On Thursday, the company announced it will start displaying links to websites and articles “more frequently” and higher up inside its AI-generated search results — a direct response to publishers who have watched their Google referral traffic wither over the past year. Consultancy Chartbeat reports that news publishers lost 40 percent of their traffic coming from Google between July 2025 and July 2026. ...