Google tests an AI Mode sidebar on its main results page

What Google is testing

Search Engine Roundtable reports that Google is testing a left-hand sidebar on its main web search results page. The sidebar copies the one people already see inside AI Mode. It holds a small Google "G" logo, a list of past chats, a button to start a chat with AI Mode, and a settings icon.

This is a test, not a rollout. Google runs many tests that never reach everyone, and this one may change or disappear. Still, the direction is worth noting. Today, AI Mode is something a searcher has to choose to open. If this test became the normal layout, an AI chat would sit beside every ordinary list of results.

The change sounds small: a few icons down the side of the page. The effect could be bigger. A searcher who sees a chat button next to their results may ask a follow-up question there instead of clicking through to a website.

Why being quoted may matter more than ranking

For years, the main goal of search marketing has been simple: get into the top ten blue links. If AI answers become part of the everyday results page, that goal starts to shift. A business could rank well and still be left out of the AI answer above or beside it. Another business could be quoted in that answer without holding a top spot.

A recent Search Engine Journal piece makes a related point. It argues that a business which relies on search alone is exposed, and that a wider presence across the web gives it more protection. Whatever you think of that view, the practical lesson holds. The pages Google's AI chooses to quote tend to be clear, useful and easy to check against other sources.

None of this means ordinary rankings stop mattering. AI answers still draw on pages Google can crawl and trust. But "where do we rank?" is no longer the only question. "Are we being quoted, and for what?" is now just as important.

Google's own guidance for site owners on how its AI features in Search work. Source: developers.google.com, captured October 2026.

What this means for UK businesses

• Treat this as a test. Don't rebuild your website around a layout Google may never launch. Do start watching how AI answers handle your key searches.
• Check who gets quoted. Run the searches your customers use and note which websites Google's AI answers link to. Note whether yours is among them.
• Answer questions plainly. Pages that give a clear, direct answer near the top are easier for AI answers to quote.
• Keep facts consistent. Make sure your prices, opening hours, services and contact details match across your website and your business listings.
• Don't drop the basics. Crawlable pages, fast loading and helpful content still support both ordinary rankings and AI answers.

Analysis compiled by Sayu (sayu.co.uk)