Google pushes organic results further down: Here's everything publishers should know

Google has quietly transformed its search results page by automatically expanding AI overviews for select queries and pushing traditional organic links significantly lower.

The search engine confirmed that it has removed the “show more” button for some searches and has now started to show full AI-generated responses by default. The expanded view now loads an “Ask Anything” follow-up box, encouraging users to continue interacting with AI rather than scrolling to traditional search results.

Google spokesperson Jennifer Kutz told The Verge: “For some queries, AI overviews may dynamically expand for topics where our systems determine it’s most useful for people.”

The company further clarified that if users started scrolling, the expansion cancels to avoid losing their reading position.

This change significantly impacts click-through rates and traffic to publisher websites.

Google VP Robby Stein defended the approach on X (formerly Twitter), stating the company is “always testing and tuning these experiences” and “will refine based on user feedback.”

The announcement comes in the wake of concerns expressed by Penske Media Corporation, which filed a lawsuit against Google in September in connection with the AI Overviews' effects on affiliate revenues.

Although there is no way to turn off AI Overviews, Google keeps on developing AI Mode functionalities by introducing developing-topic link carousels for timely articles among AI results. As Google claims, over 600,000 sources have been marked as "Preferred Sources" compared to 345,000 in May.

As for publishers and SEO practitioners, the key takeaway from the development is that Google makes huge bets on AI-powered search and leaves less room for organic visibility.