Google stops testing links in Search Generative Experience snapshot answers

Earlier this month, Google began testing links within the Search Generative Experience AI-generated snapshot answers. Well, it seems Google has stopped that test and is no longer testing links or citations in these AI-generated answers.

Link test. Here is a screenshot of the links/citations in these answers. Please note our original coverage showcased three different formats for links in the SGE answers. You can click on the screenshots below to enlarge them.

Here is what I see now, SGE answers without any links:

Test is gone. While some of you never were able to replicate seeing links in the SGE responses, many were able to see these links, that was until yesterday afternoon. I was in the test, it is now no longer showing me links. And so where several others, including Danny Goodwin, Managing Editor of Search Engine Land and others.

Here are posts from others who no longer see the links:

Have GSE content/citation links been removed?

Maybe an okay thing until better baked out. Noticed soo many that were wrong/out of context (on-page text didn’t support the GSE content). cc @JohnMu @lilyraynyc @rustybrick

— Britney Muller ?? (@BritneyMuller) August 17, 2023

Why we care. One of the biggest complaints about the Search Generative Experience is that you cannot click from the text of the AI-generated answer to the source of the information. Having links in these generative answers makes this experience more useful. We hope Google will bring back links within these generative answers in the future but right now, Google has stopped this test.