Review preview. Private, not for sharing. Data snapshot October 2026 cohort, assembled 2026-11-07.
ZERO CLICKS GIVENAI Search Leaders

Google rebuilt the results page in three years.

The ten blue links became an answer with links underneath. Here is every dated change we could verify, and what the same searches looked like before and after.

Every change, dated.

92 changes to Google Search from 2023 to 2026, with the markets they reached. Dates marked approx. come from press reports where Google gave no date.

92 changes.

What changed
21 Feb 2023February 2023 product reviews updateGoogle's product reviews update rolled out over 14 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
15 Mar 2023March 2023 core updateBroad core update, 13 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
12 Apr 2023April 2023 reviews updateReviews update widened beyond products, 13 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
10 May 2023SGE announced, opt-in via Search LabsSearch Generative Experience unveiled at I/O for US English users who opted in through Search Labs.AI OverviewsUSSource
22 Aug 2023August 2023 core updateBroad core update, 16 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
30 Aug 2023approx.SGE opens in India and Japan (Labs)Search Labs users in India and Japan could opt into SGE.AI OverviewsOther marketsSource
14 Sep 2023September 2023 helpful content updateThe last standalone helpful content update, 13 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
4 Oct 2023October 2023 spam updateSpam update, 15 days.Spam updateUS, UK, AUSource
5 Oct 2023October 2023 core updateBroad core update, 14 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
2 Nov 2023November 2023 core updateBroad core update, 26 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
8 Nov 2023SGE expands to 120 or more countries in LabsSGE added Spanish, Portuguese, Korean and Indonesian and reached 120 or more countries, still opt-in.AI OverviewsUS, UK, AUSource
8 Nov 2023November 2023 reviews updateThe last announced reviews update, 29 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
15 Nov 2023Hidden gems system confirmed live in core rankingGoogle said its system for surfacing forum and first-hand content had been live for months inside core ranking.Results page moduleUS, UK, AUSource
1 Feb 2024Cached page link retiredGoogle confirmed the cache link was removed from results after disappearing in late January.Results page moduleUS, UK, AUSource
22 Feb 2024Reddit licensing deal with GoogleReddit agreed to license its content to Google, reported at about USD 60 million a year.PolicyUS, UK, AUSource
5 Mar 2024March 2024 core update, helpful content folded inA 45-day core update that absorbed the helpful content system, with Google forecasting 40 percent less unhelpful content.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
5 Mar 2024March 2024 spam update and new spam policiesSpam update of 15 days plus new policies on scaled content abuse, expired domain abuse and site reputation abuse.Spam updateUS, UK, AUSource
30 Apr 2024approx.Sistrix: Reddit US visibility up 1,328 percentReddit rose from about rank 85 to rank 5 in US visibility between late July 2023 and April 2024.DataUSSource
6 May 2024Site reputation abuse enforcement beginsManual actions delisted coupon and third-party sections on CNN, USA Today and the LA Times.PolicyUS, UK, AUSource
14 May 2024AI Overviews launch for all US usersAnnounced at I/O, AI Overviews replaced SGE for everyone in the US.AI OverviewsUSSource
21 May 2024Marketing Live previews ads in AI OverviewsGoogle demonstrated ads inside AI Overviews and said testing would start.AI OverviewsUSSource
20 Jun 2024June 2024 spam updateSpam update, 7 days.Spam updateUS, UK, AUSource
25 Jun 2024Continuous scroll removed on desktopGoogle restored the Next button on desktop and said mobile would follow in the coming months.Results page moduleUS, UK, AUSource
15 Jul 2024approx.Forums module on 71 percent of product review queriesDetailed.com found the Discussions and forums module on 7,085 of 10,000 product review keyphrases.DataUSSource
15 Aug 2024AI Overviews expand to UK and five more countriesAI Overviews reached the UK, India, Japan, Indonesia, Mexico and Brazil with links shown beside the summary.AI OverviewsUKSource
15 Aug 2024August 2024 core updateBroad core update, 19 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
3 Oct 2024Ads in AI Overviews go live on US mobileSponsored results appeared under AI Overviews for US mobile users and inline source links were added.AI OverviewsUSSource
28 Oct 2024AI Overviews expand to 100 or more countriesGoogle began rolling AI Overviews out to more than 100 countries and territories, reaching about a billion monthly users.AI OverviewsUS, UK, AUSource
29 Oct 2024approx.AI Overviews roll out in AustraliaAfter September testing, AI Overviews rolled out across Australia; agencies cite 29 October and Information Age reported it on 31 October.AI OverviewsAUSource
11 Nov 2024November 2024 core updateBroad core update, 24 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
19 Nov 2024Site reputation abuse policy widenedFirst-party involvement or oversight of third-party content no longer exempts it from the policy.PolicyUS, UK, AUSource
12 Dec 2024December 2024 core updateBroad core update, 6 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
19 Dec 2024December 2024 spam updateSpam update, 7 days.Spam updateUS, UK, AUSource
5 Mar 2025AI Mode opens in Search Labs (US)AI Mode launched as a Labs experiment on Gemini 2.0, and AI Overviews moved to Gemini 2.0 and more queries without sign-in.AI ModeUSSource
13 Mar 2025March 2025 core updateBroad core update of 14 days; Ahrefs saw US AI Overview share start climbing from 7.6 percent during the rollout.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
26 Mar 2025AI Overviews reach nine EU countriesSigned-in adults in Germany, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland began seeing AI Overviews.AI OverviewsOther marketsSource
8 Apr 2025Trackers report AI Overview surgeZiptie saw AI Overviews on more than 20 percent of queries, Semrush about 13 percent and Similarweb about 20 percent.DataUSSource
15 Apr 2025approx.Ahrefs: AI Overviews cut position-one CTR 34.5 percentAcross 300,000 keywords, position-one CTR fell from 0.073 to 0.026 where an AI Overview appeared.DataUSSource
13 May 2025Ahrefs: US AIO share 7.6 to 16.48 percentShare of US keywords triggering an AI Overview more than doubled between 13 March and early May 2025.DataUSSource
15 May 2025approx.Semrush: AIOs 17 percent Portugal, under 1 percent GermanyDesktop AI Overview share exceeded 17 percent in Portugal and Belgium while Germany stayed below 1 percent.DataOther marketsSource
20 May 2025AI Mode rolls out to all US usersAt I/O Google moved AI Mode out of Labs for everyone in the US on Gemini 2.5 and said AI Overviews had 1.5 billion monthly users in 200 countries.AI ModeUSSource
21 May 2025Ads in AI Mode and desktop AI Overviews (US)Marketing Live announced ads in AI Mode and extended AI Overview ads to US desktop.AI ModeUSSource
24 Jun 2025AI Mode opens in India via LabsEnglish-language AI Mode on Gemini 2.5 launched in India as a Search Labs experiment.AI ModeOther marketsSource
30 Jun 2025EU antitrust complaint over AI OverviewsThe Independent Publishers Alliance filed with the European Commission seeking interim measures; the UK CMA also received the complaint.PolicyUKSource
30 Jun 2025June 2025 core updateBroad core update, 17 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
3 Jul 2025Similarweb: zero-click searches 56 to 69 percentShare of Google searches ending without a click rose from 56 percent in May 2024 to 69 percent in May 2025.DataUSSource
8 Jul 2025AI Mode leaves Labs in IndiaAI Mode became available to all users in India in English with no Labs sign-up.AI ModeOther marketsSource
22 Jul 2025Pew: clicks fall from 15 to 8 percent with an AIOPew found users clicked a result on 8 percent of searches with an AI Overview versus 15 percent without, and 1 percent clicked a link inside the summary.DataUSSource
24 Jul 2025Web Guide launches in Search LabsAn opt-in experiment that groups Web tab results into AI-organised clusters.Results page moduleUSSource
28 Jul 2025AI Mode launches in the UKAI Mode appeared as a tab for UK users aged 18 and over with no Labs stage and no ads; some outlets cite 29 July.AI ModeUKSource
12 Aug 2025Preferred Sources launches in Top StoriesUS and India users could pick outlets to see more of in Top Stories.Results page moduleUSSource
21 Aug 2025AI Mode expands to 180 more countries in EnglishAI Mode reached 180 more countries and territories in English, EU excluded, with agentic restaurant booking for US Ultra subscribers in Labs.AI ModeAUSource
26 Aug 2025August 2025 spam updateSpam update, 27 days.Spam updateUS, UK, AUSource
8 Sep 2025approx.AI Mode adds five languagesHindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Brazilian Portuguese joined English in AI Mode.AI ModeOther marketsSource
12 Sep 2025Penske Media sues Google over AI OverviewsRolling Stone's owner filed in the US District Court for DC, alleging AI Overviews cut clicks to its titles.PolicyUSSource
12 Sep 2025approx.num=100 parameter stops workingGoogle stopped honouring 100 results per page, breaking rank trackers and removing bot-driven impressions from Search Console; reports span 10 to 14 September.DataUS, UK, AUSource
18 Sep 2025AI Mode announced for Chrome address barGoogle said AI Mode would come to the Chrome omnibox in the US later that month.AI ModeUSSource
7 Oct 2025AI Mode adds 35 languages and 40 countriesAI Mode reached more than 200 countries and territories including Europe with more than 35 new languages.AI ModeUK, AUSource
8 Oct 2025AI Mode launches in AustraliaGoogle began rolling AI Mode out to Australian users.AI ModeAUSource
15 Oct 2025approx.Ads inside AI Overviews reported in AustraliaAgency reports said ads began appearing inside Australian AI Overviews from October 2025; Google's Ads help lists Australia as eligible.AI OverviewsAUSource
10 Nov 2025Ahrefs: AIOs on 20.5 percent of 146 million SERPsSeptember 2025 desktop data showed AI Overviews on 20.5 percent of SERPs, led by Science and Health at about 43 percent and Shopping at 3.2 percent.DataUS, UK, AUSource
13 Nov 2025approx.Agentic checkout and call-the-store in AI Mode shoppingGoogle added comparisons, store calling, price tracking and agentic checkout to Shopping and AI Mode for the US holiday season.Results page moduleUSSource
18 Nov 2025Gemini 3 ships in AI ModeGemini 3 was announced and used in AI Mode from day one, with automatic routing of hard queries reported from 26 November.AI ModeUS, UK, AUSource
10 Dec 2025Preferred Sources goes global in EnglishNick Fox announced the expansion to English users worldwide with about 90,000 sources selected.Results page moduleUS, UK, AUSource
11 Dec 2025December 2025 core updateBroad core update, 18 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
15 Dec 2025Semrush: AIO rate 6.49 to 24.61 to 15.69 percentAcross 10 million keywords the AI Overview trigger rate rose from 6.49 percent in January 2025 to 24.61 percent in July and fell to 15.69 percent in November, with informational share dropping from 91.3 to 57.1 percent.DataUSSource
11 Jan 2026Universal Commerce Protocol announcedGoogle, Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target and Walmart announced a protocol for agentic checkout inside AI Mode.Results page moduleUSSource
27 Jan 2026Gemini 3 default for AI Overviews, handoff to AI ModeGemini 3 became the standard model for AI Overviews globally and mobile users could continue from an overview into an AI Mode conversation.AI OverviewsUS, UK, AUSource
5 Feb 2026February 2026 Discover core updateThe first Discover-only update, 22 days, US English first.Core updateUSSource
15 Feb 2026approx.BrightEdge: AIOs on 48 percent of tracked queriesBrightEdge measured AI Overviews on about 48 percent of its tracked query set, up from about 30 percent a year earlier.DataUSSource
24 Mar 2026March 2026 spam updateSpam update, 19.5 hours.Spam updateUS, UK, AUSource
27 Mar 2026March 2026 core updateBroad core update of 12 days; Sistrix recorded Reddit falling from rank 2 to rank 4 in US visibility.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
30 Apr 2026Preferred Sources in all Search languagesPreferred Sources opened to all users in every supported language with more than 200,000 sources selected.Results page moduleUS, UK, AUSource
18 May 2026Ahrefs: AIOs cut position-one CTR 58 percentUsing December 2025 data, Ahrefs found position-one organic CTR fell 58 percent where an AI Overview appeared; the blog update was published in February 2026.DataUSSource
19 May 2026I/O 2026: AI Mode hits 1 billion users, Gemini 3.5 FlashGoogle said AI Mode had one billion monthly users, made Gemini 3.5 Flash the default model in AI Mode globally, launched a new Search box and made the overview-to-AI Mode follow-up live worldwide.AI ModeUS, UK, AUSource
20 May 2026AI Overviews and AI Mode combined worldwideGoogle said it was "bringing AI Overviews and AI Mode into one, seamless AI Search experience", live on desktop and mobile worldwide, without calling AI Mode the default results page.AI OverviewsUS, UK, AUSource
21 May 2026May 2026 core updateBroad core update, 12 days.Core updateUS, UK, AUSource
27 May 2026Preferred Sources enters AI Overviews and AI ModeChosen outlets gained a Preferred badge inside AI answers, with 345,000 sources selected and the Highly Cited label widened.Results page moduleUS, UK, AUSource
3 Jun 2026Search Console generative AI report (impressions only)A new report shows impressions in AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover AI features with no clicks, plus an opt-out control.DataUS, UK, AUSource
24 Jun 2026June 2026 spam updateSpam update, 2 days.Spam updateUS, UK, AUSource
30 Jul 2026approx.Similarweb 43 percent and Semrush 48 percent AIO shareSimilarweb put AI Overviews on about 43 percent of US queries in May 2026 and Semrush on about 48 percent.DataUSSource
12 Aug 2026Video carousel drops sharplySemrush Sensor showed video carousels falling from just over 30 percent of queries to under 20 percent, and brand-name searches from about 40 to 5 percent.Results page moduleUSSource
18 Aug 2026August 2026 spam updateSpam update, 3 days.Spam updateUS, UK, AUSource
27 Aug 2026Ahrefs: forums module on 11.7 percent of US SERPsAcross 145 million US results the Discussions and forums module appeared on 11.7 percent, with Reddit in 87.8 percent of those, Facebook 38.3 and Quora 32.DataUSSource
28 Aug 2026Site reputation manual actions lifted for EEA searchersFrom 30 August site reputation abuse manual actions stopped affecting results for EEA users under a European Commission mandate, unchanged elsewhere.PolicyOther marketsSource
24 Sep 2026September 2026 spam updateSpam update of 14 days, finished 8 October.Spam updateUS, UK, AUSource
29 Sep 2026AI Mode information monitoring for all usersInformation monitoring agents in AI Mode opened to all users globally; some outlets date it 28 September.AI ModeUS, UK, AUSource
6 Oct 2026Surfer: YouTube 31.85 percent of top-50 AIO citationsSeptember 2026 data across 6.78 million citations put YouTube first, Reddit 17.69 percent, Google 13.99, Facebook 6.12, LinkedIn 3.25 and Quora 2.65.DataUSSource
15 Oct 2026More and higher links in AI Mode and AI OverviewsGoogle moved inline links higher and more often, tested an official websites section, expanded news carousels, tested creator name links and redesigned Dive Deeper, while declining to add click data to reports.AI OverviewsUS, UK, AUSource
28 Oct 2026Ads in AI Mode reach Australia and nine more marketsAds in AI Mode scaled to Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Singapore, with the UK, Brazil and Mexico due in Q4 2026 and multiturn ads in the US.AI ModeAU, UKSource
30 Oct 2026Google denies cutting back AI OverviewsA Google spokesperson rejected reports of a rollback, saying AI Overviews appear dynamically and not on every query.AI OverviewsUS, UK, AUSource
3 Nov 2026Ahrefs: YouTube 24.5, Reddit 18.1 percent of AIO citationsNovember 2026 data from 3 million US queries ranked YouTube, Reddit, Facebook (12.4), Google (8.6), Instagram (5.4), Quora (4.4), Wikipedia (4.4), TikTok (3.0) and Amazon (2.5) by share of top-50 citations.DataUSSource