Source: Search Engine Roundtable by barry@rustybrick.com (Barry Schwartz). Read the original article
TL;DR Summary of Google’s New Link Card Format in AI Overviews
Google is testing a new link card format in its AI Overviews within search results, which shows page and site cards when hovering over link icons. This feature aims to improve link visibility and clickability. The update is currently in a heavy testing phase but is not fully live yet. The exact impact and relation to other link interfaces remain uncertain.
Optimixed’s Overview: Enhancing User Interaction with Google’s Experimental Link Cards in AI Search Overviews
Introduction to Google’s Link Card Experiment
Recently, Google has introduced a new interface element within its AI Overviews on search results — interactive link cards that appear when users hover their mouse over link clip icons. This innovation is designed to provide more context about the source pages, potentially increasing user engagement with referenced content.
Community Observations and Testing Status
- Initial Discovery: The new link card feature was first spotted by tech observers on social media platforms in early February 2026.
- Multiple Confirmations: Various SEO experts and users have reported seeing this feature across different devices and browsers, indicating a broad testing phase.
- Testing Intensity: Although not fully rolled out, Google appears to be experimenting extensively with this feature to gauge its effectiveness.
Potential Impact and Uncertainties
While this new link card format could enhance the way users interact with AI-generated content by making citations more accessible and clickable, its final design and integration remain unclear. It may relate to Google’s ongoing efforts to improve contextual linking interfaces, but definitive conclusions await further development and user feedback.
