Links inside Google's AI answers may be rising again
A fresh report points to another jump in outbound links, and one well known SEO says his own checks match.
Google's AI Overviews (the AI written answer that sits at the top of some search results) appear to be sending out more links to websites again. Barry Schwartz flagged a new report from Peec AI, credited to @MalteLandwehr, saying external links inside those answers have spiked.
Glenn Gabe says he is seeing the same thing in his own checks, with more inline links appearing inside the text of the answers rather than only off to the side. He was careful about how strong the claim is.
How sure is this
Not very. One report and one SEO saying his own spot checks line up is not the same as Google confirming a change. Gabe said plainly that he does not know if the reported increase is accurate, only that he is seeing more links himself. Nobody has said why the number would be moving.
This follows the earlier report that AI answers had started linking out far more often. The new data point suggests that direction has continued rather than settled back down.
What it means for your site
More links inside AI answers is the better version of a bad situation. When Google answers a question in full at the top of the page, people click less. A link inside that answer is one of the few ways a visitor still reaches you from a search where the AI did the talking.
There is no setting to turn on and no tag to add. The pages that get cited in these answers are the ones that already rank and already answer the question clearly, so the work is the same work.
What to do
Nothing today. This is a trend report, not a change to your site or your Search Console account.
If you want to see it for yourself, search two or three questions your customers actually ask and look at whether the AI answer at the top has links in the body of the text. Note which sites it picks. That tells you more about your own market than any industry average will, and it takes about five minutes.
If your name keeps missing from those answers on questions you should own, the fix is the boring one. Make the page that answers that specific question properly, with a real answer on it, not a thin page that circles the topic.
I don't know if the increase being reported is accurate, but I am seeing more
External links in Google AI Overviews spike according to new report