Key Details

After enabling Web Guide in Search Labs on desktop or mobile Chrome, users can switch back to the classic Web tab at any time.

• Launched globally for English-language users on 24 July 2025.
• Accessible under the Web tab; toggling it off restores the standard list of ten blue links.
• Gemini summarizes the query and then runs parallel sub-searches - a process Google calls "query fan-out".
• Results appear in labeled groups such as "Itinerary planning" or "Budget transport", each preceded by a short AI summary.
• Links retain their original titles, URLs, and favicons; ranking inside each group still relies on core search signals.
• A feedback panel beneath each set lets users rate usefulness.
• The experiment currently covers the United States, India, and Japan.
• For complex queries like coordinating across time zones, groups may include messaging apps, scheduling tools, and shared calendars.
• Testers can submit comments by typing "Web Guide feedback" into the search bar.

Background

Google first tested AI-organized result blocks for shopping and dining queries in October 2024, but those trials were outside Search Labs. Web Guide expands the concept to all content types and requires explicit opt-in.

Search Labs, launched in May 2023 as Google's public testing program, has previously hosted experiments such as AI Overview, Notes, and Code Tips.

Web Guide uses the same Gemini backbone as AI Overview but is tuned for classification. The model analyzes headings, schema, and visible text to assign pages to groups with no extra publisher markup required.

SafeSearch, spam filters, and helpful content systems still apply before a link can appear. Google is reviewing aggregated interaction data to determine whether the grouped layout speeds up discovery.

The company says the layout could migrate to the All tab after usage patterns are analyzed and emphasizes that participation in Labs experiments does not affect rankings.

In a demo for "how to solo travel in Japan", groups covered lodging, cultural etiquette, and rail passes, extending the Topic Layer added to the Knowledge Graph in 2018.

Try Web Guide

Read the official Google Search blog announcement for more details, or opt in directly on the Search Labs enrollment page.