Google has announced a test of a dedicated section near the top of some AI search responses for links to official pages where people can complete a particular task or find an exact answer. Its 15 October announcement is a useful prompt for businesses in Bath and the South West to check a simple question: when someone finds your website, do they reach the right place?
A booking link that opens an old service, an enquiry button that leads to a general homepage, or a page that leaves visitors guessing about the next step can waste a promising visit. Those are useful problems to fix whatever happens to Google’s test.
What Google has announced
Google says it will test a display that highlights official links, with a short explanation of why each one is useful, when only one or two places provide the relevant task or information. It builds on existing treatment of searches for a particular website.
The announcement also describes more frequent links higher within AI answers and more prominent related-article links with thumbnails. Timely-article carousels are expanding to additional locations and languages, while clickable creator names in AI Mode video results are being tested.
These changes have different release stages. Google does not specify UK availability for the official task-link test, offer a way for a local business to enrol, or promise additional visits. A clearer presentation of links is not a guarantee that your page will be selected.
Choose one customer task to check
Start with something people actually need to do: book a treatment, enquire about a venue, arrange a repair or check the details of a course. Pick one important task rather than reviewing every page at once.
For a Bath venue, that might mean following the route from its private-hire page to an enquiry. For a repair business covering nearby towns, it could mean finding the right service and understanding which details to provide. These are examples of useful website checks, not examples Google has confirmed will appear in its test.
Ask someone who does not manage the website to try the task on a phone. Begin at the relevant page, rather than explaining the route beforehand. Note where they hesitate, choose the wrong link or need information that is missing.
Make the destination match the promise
Compare the wording of each link with the page it opens. “Book an appointment” should take someone towards making that appointment. If the next step is only a request for a callback, say so before they click.
Then check the details at the destination. Is the service still offered? Is the location right? Does the page explain what happens after a form is sent? If a booking provider opens separately, can visitors recognise that they are continuing with the same business?
If you offer several services or work from more than one location, repeat the check where the route differs. A successful booking for one branch does not tell you whether another branch’s link opens the right calendar or enquiry form.
You can check where links lead without submitting a form or making a booking. Any end-to-end test should be arranged with the person who handles enquiries, so it does not create a real reservation or an unexpected job.
This is often a focused website content editing task: give the destination a clear purpose and make the link describe it accurately.
Keep search eligibility separate from usability
Google’s current guidance says supporting pages in AI Overviews and AI Mode must be indexed and eligible for a search snippet. It does not require a special AI file or new schema markup, and meeting its requirements does not guarantee inclusion.
If an important page cannot be found, ask whoever maintains the site to investigate its indexing and access settings. Avoid changing deliberate privacy or search restrictions simply to chase a new display. Ordinary search visibility checks should begin with what the page is intended to do.
Record a useful improvement
Keep a short note of the task, the starting page, the destination and any correction made. That gives your team something concrete to check again when services, booking systems or opening arrangements change.
Judge the result by whether customers can complete the task and whether genuine enquiries reach the right person. Google may change its test; a clear, accurate route through your own website will still be worth maintaining.