What Google said
The post, “More ways to connect with the web from Search” by Hema Budaraju, VP, Product Management, is dated 15 October 2026 (Google: More ways to connect with the web from Search). Under the heading “Find exactly the right web page” it says: “Sometimes, there are only one or two official places on the web to complete a specific task or get the exact info you need. We’ll be testing a new display in Search AI experiences to prominently surface these links in a dedicated section at the top of a response, with context about why each link is useful.”
Google adds that this “expands on what we already do today to show links front and center when you’re looking to go to a particular site.”
What it is, and what it isn’t
- It is a test. Google says it “will be testing” the display. It is not described as launched.
- No countries or dates. The post doesn’t say where or when the test runs, so we don’t say it is live in India.
- No selection criteria. The post doesn’t say how Google decides which sites are official, or which searches show the section.
The same post also covers other changes: more inline links shown higher in AI responses, carousels for timely articles rolling out to more locations and languages, more prominent links to related articles, and a test of clickable creator and publisher names on video results in AI Mode.
Is your site the official source? What to check
Google hasn’t published criteria, so these are our recommendations, not Google’s rules. They are useful whether or not the test reaches you:
- Your business name is written the same way on your website, Business Profile and listings.
- Your own site says in plain text what you offer, your city, starting prices or how pricing works, and how to book or enquire.
- Each common task (book, get a price, find the office, contact you) has one clear, current page on your own domain, not only a directory or marketplace listing.
- Old or duplicate pages that could compete with the real one are updated or removed.
- Search crawlers can fetch the pages that matter.
Want us to check this for you? Request the free mini-audit (₹0): we email you 5 findings about your own website. We don’t guarantee placement in any Google feature.
Your 15-minute self-check
- Your business name matches across your site, Business Profile and listings.
- Services, city, starting prices (or how pricing works) and booking route are in plain text on your site.
- Each common task has one clear page on your own domain.
- Outdated or duplicate pages are fixed or removed.
Our free “Can ChatGPT read your website?” checker (coming soon) runs the machine-readable checks on this list.
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Questions
Is the official-websites section live in India?
Google’s post doesn’t say which countries or dates the test covers, so we can’t say it is live in India or anywhere else.
How does Google choose the official websites?
The post doesn’t say. Anyone offering a guaranteed way in is guessing.
Is the mini-audit really free?
Yes. The free mini-audit is ₹0 and nothing is charged when you submit the form. Paid reports are separate and optional.
Sources
Rules and documentation change. This guide is general information, not legal advice. We don’t guarantee rankings, traffic or mentions by any AI assistant.