Google Auto-Expands AI Overviews, Pushing Links Further Down

Google has begun automatically expanding its AI-generated search summaries for certain queries, pushing traditional web links significantly further down the results page, according to Search Engine Roundtable.

The change eliminates the "Show more" button that previously let users decide whether to expand AI Overviews. Instead, Google now displays the full AI summary, followed by an "Ask anything" prompt box, before showing the standard list of website links. The shift can require substantial scrolling before users reach conventional search results.

How the expansion works

The exact criteria Google uses to trigger auto-expanding AI Overviews remains unclear. Testing shows inconsistent behavior across different searches and browsers. One query that consistently triggered the expanded view was "what is the best game on switch 2," though even this varied between attempts.

Google spokesperson Jennifer Kutz confirmed the feature in a statement to The Verge, explaining that "AI Overviews may dynamically expand for topics where our systems determine it's most useful for people." She cited internal research showing users find the dynamic experience more helpful and engage in deeper follow-up exploration.

The company has built in one safeguard: if a user has already started scrolling past the AI Overview to view content below, Google cancels the expansion to prevent disrupting their reading position.

Why it matters

This change represents another step in Google's ongoing transformation of search from a link directory to an AI-first answer engine. For website publishers who depend on search traffic, automatically expanded AI summaries mean their links appear even lower on the page—potentially reducing click-through rates. The shift also reflects Google's bet that users prefer immediate AI-generated answers over browsing multiple sources, a hypothesis that could reshape how information flows across the web and how content creators monetize their work.

Testing reveals inconsistent rollout

Initial testing showed the auto-expanded format appearing for most searches. However, subsequent attempts reverted to the standard collapsed view with the "Show more" button. This suggests Google may be testing the feature with different user segments or adjusting its algorithm based on query types.

The inconsistency makes it difficult for users and SEO professionals to predict when they'll encounter the expanded format versus the traditional collapsed view.

The details were first reported by Search Engine Roundtable and confirmed by The Verge.