Google Is Testing Removal of AI Mode From the Search Tab Bar and AI Overviews Follow-Up Box
TLDR
Google is testing removing AI Mode from the Search tab bar and the Ask anything follow-up box within AI Overviews, following earlier removal of AI Mode buttons from the Google homepage.
What this Google Search test means for your site
- Status
- Test
- Platform
- Google Search
- Affects
- AI Mode tab in search tab bar, Ask anything follow-up box in AI Overviews
- Who
- Not specified in the source
- Effective
- Not specified in the source
- Action needed
- Not specified in the source
Optimixed Overview
Optimixed's original report on this story.
Google is testing the removal of AI Mode from the tab bar within Google Search and dropping the Ask anything follow-up box inside AI Overviews, according to SERoundtable. The test comes after SERoundtable reported Google removing AI Mode buttons from the Google homepage.
How we got here: earlier Google Search coverage
Earlier items in this series describe Google testing AI Mode access points across Search, including the AI Mode button in the search results bar on September 18 and the AI Mode sidebar on the main results page on October 14. On November 3, Google was reported to be testing removal of the AI Mode button from the Search bar for a small group of searchers, though SERoundtable could not replicate it. Now, Google is testing removing AI Mode from the Search tab bar and the Ask anything follow-up box within AI Overviews, after earlier removing AI Mode buttons from the Google homepage.
Summary of earlier coverage
- Nov 3Google Reportedly Testing Removal of AI Mode Button From Search Bar
Google is reportedly testing removal of the AI Mode button from the Search bar for a small group of searchers, though SERoundtable could not replicate it.
- Oct 14Google Tests AI Mode Left Sidebar in Main Search Results
Google is testing placement of its AI Mode sidebar interface on the main search results page rather than in a separate AI Mode tab.
- Sep 18Google testing AI Mode button directly in search results page
Google is expanding where it displays its AI Mode button by adding it to the search bar on search results pages, not just the homepage.
- Aug 28Google Testing Auto-Promotion of AI Mode From Search AI Overviews
Google is testing an AI Overview experience that automatically expands to full AI Mode responses without requiring users to click a button.