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It has been observed that Google AI Mode does not consistently transmit referrer information from links located in its sidebar. This issue is currently under review by the Google Search team, with hopes for a prompt resolution if one hasn’t already been achieved.
Tom Critchlow identified this problem last week and shared his observations on a professional networking platform, noting that the sidebar links within AI Mode (highlighted in red) are not sending any referrer data. Consequently, traffic resulting from these links appears as direct traffic rather than coming from Google.
Below is a visual representation of the issue:
Over the weekend, John Mueller from Google responded, indicating that he would pass the information along for further investigation.
Further discussion on this topic can be found in the forum thread linked on the networking platform.
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