Google is testing text link ads inside AI Mode answers
Google is experimenting with sponsored text links that look nearly identical to the links inside its AI Mode answers, labeled only with a small Sponsored tag. For apartment marketers running Google Ads, this is part of a wider push that is already pulling standard Search campaigns into AI Mode with no opt out and no separate reporting.
What happened
Search Engine Roundtable reported on 2026-09-15 that Google is testing a new ad format inside AI Mode, the conversational version of Google Search. Instead of the familiar sponsored boxes with headlines and descriptions, these ads appear as plain text links with anchor text, placed above or inside the AI generated answer, with only a small Sponsored label to mark them as paid.
The test was spotted by Sachin Patel, who shared examples on X and Search Engine Watch. Barry Schwartz, who runs Search Engine Roundtable, pointed out that the ads look very organic, almost indistinguishable from the regular links AI Mode uses to cite its sources. Google tested similar unpaid anchor links in April 2026, but this is the first time anyone has documented them being sold as ads.
This sits on top of a broader shift. On 2026-09-04, Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin confirmed a separate test that lets exact match and phrase match keywords from standard Search campaigns serve text ads inside AI Mode, for queries Google decides have explicit and direct user intent. Before this test, only automated products like Performance Max, AI Max, and broad match keywords could show up in AI Mode. Advertisers cannot opt out of the new behavior, and there is no AI Mode specific reporting that separates this traffic from regular Search clicks.
All of these are tests, not permanent product launches. Google has not published a blog post about the text link ad format, and the criteria for which queries qualify has not been publicly defined.
Why it matters for apartment marketers
More and more renters are getting their first answer to apartment questions from an AI product instead of a traditional list of blue links. If AI Mode becomes a place where paid links sit right inside the answer, your Google Ads budget could start reaching people in a surface you did not choose and cannot measure separately. Three practical worries for apartment communities and management companies:
First, you may already be paying for AI Mode clicks without knowing it. If you run exact match or phrase match keywords on your community name, your city, or terms like apartments near me, some of that spend is now eligible to serve inside AI Mode answers. It will not show up as a separate line in Google Ads reports.
Second, text link ads that look like organic citations could change what renters click. Schwartz noted that users tend to skip past links inside AI answers, which might mean lower click through rates. On the other hand, an ad that reads like an AI recommendation could get more trust than a traditional ad box.
Third, if Google starts citing paid links in the same visual style as organic citations, the line between a cited apartment site and a sponsored one will get harder to see for both renters and for the people trying to measure brand presence in AI answers.
What to do this week
- Pull your Google Ads search terms report for the last 30 days and flag any high spend keywords on exact or phrase match. These are the ones most likely eligible for the AI Mode text ad test, so you want to know your baseline before anything shifts.
- Ask your Google Ads rep or agency, in writing, whether your account is in the AI Mode text ad test and whether any opt out, even an unofficial one, is available.
- Check how your community name and your top city plus apartments queries render in AI Mode on both desktop and mobile. Note whether you see Sponsored links, organic citations, or nothing, and screenshot it so you can compare in a few weeks.
- Watch for a widening gap between Google Ads reported clicks and the sessions your property website analytics attribute to paid search. A gap could be a signal that AI Mode interactions are counting differently.
- Keep your property website pages crawlable, with clear community name, address, floor plan names, and pricing in plain text. Whether the citation inside an AI answer ends up paid or organic, Google still has to be able to read your site to reference it.
What we do not know yet
Google has not said how widely the text link ad format is being tested, which countries or query types are included, or whether it will become a permanent format. There is no official pricing or bidding guidance, no separate performance reporting, and no confirmed timeline for when, or if, advertisers will get AI Mode specific controls. Treat the Search Engine Roundtable report and the Miraflow writeup as credible sightings, not official Google announcements.