Google has started automatically expanding its AI search summaries at the top of results pages for certain queries. Search Engine Roundtable first reported this update.
This change pushes standard website links much farther down the page. Users previously saw a partial AI Overview with a Show more button. Now they see a full AI Overview, an Ask anything box, and then the traditional link list.
This layout forces users to scroll extensively. The exact criteria Google uses for auto-expanding these summaries remain unclear.
Testing prior to this report showed the feature appearing on most test queries. Those expanded results later reverted to partial displays with the Show more button in many cases.
The query what is the best game on switch 2 triggered the auto-expanding behavior most consistently. Even that specific query proved inconsistent across different searches and web browsers.
Google spokesperson Jennifer Kutz provided a statement to The Verge. For some queries, AI Overviews may dynamically expand for topics where our systems determine it is most useful for people, Kutz stated.
Kutz also noted user research findings regarding the update. Our research has shown that with this dynamic experience, users find Search more helpful and engage deeper in follow-up exploration, according to Kutz.
Google built a safeguard into the new behavior. If users have already begun scrolling to view content below the AI Overview, we cancel expansion so that the user doesn’t lose their reading position, Kutz explained.
Website publishers continue to monitor how these changes impact referral traffic. Pushing organic links further down the page typically reduces visibility for standard search results.
Google will likely continue adjusting the triggers for these auto-expanding summaries based on ongoing user testing and feedback.
