Google is testing new buttons on its home page that push users toward AI-powered search features. The buttons — Create images, Ask about files and Brainstorm — appear below the search box in a limited experiment. Google confirmed the test but has not announced a wider rollout.
The buttons route users to AI functions instead of traditional search. Create images generates visuals through AI, Ask about files lets users query uploaded documents, and Brainstorm generates ideas and solutions. The test signals a shift from 'search results' to 'search actions', where users get answers, images or analysis without clicking through to websites.
Why it matters for SEO and affiliate marketing
Traditional SEO has relied on users clicking from search results to websites. AI interfaces break that chain. If Google provides answers directly, fewer users click through. This is already visible with AI Overviews on informational queries, and home page buttons could accelerate the trend.
For iGaming and affiliate marketers, the impact is clear. Content built around comparisons, reviews, bonus guides and FAQs may lose visibility if AI systems aggregate the information themselves. A query that once sent users to a landing page ('best casino bonuses for new players 2026') might now be handled by AI ('suggest 5 welcome bonuses for a player in Kazakhstan with a deposit under $50').
Pages that survive will be those AI systems can trust: structured data, clear terms, verifiable sources. Sites heavy on marketing copy and light on substance will struggle.
How user behaviour will change
Buttons like Brainstorm and Ask about files suggest Google wants to handle complex tasks, not just surface links. Users may upload bonus terms and ask AI to explain wagering requirements, compare CPA network conditions, or analyse campaign reports for drop-offs in ROI.
For iGaming, this creates a transparency problem. If users can feed terms and conditions into AI and get a plain-language breakdown, aggressive landing pages and vague offers will be exposed faster. AI can flag high wagering, withdrawal limits, restricted payment methods, and unclear KYC policies before a user converts.
Marketing becomes more auditable. Offers need to be defensible under scrutiny.
What SEO teams should do
Structure matters more than volume. AI systems parse clear, organised content better than long-form narratives. For affiliate sites, that means tables of offer terms, pros and cons lists, FAQ blocks, and sections broken out by GEO, currency and payment method.
A casino review page should answer not just 'is this brand good' but dozens of micro-intents: Does it accept players from Uzbekistan? Can you deposit with crypto? How long do withdrawals take? What documents are needed for verification? Are there caps on bonus winnings?
E-E-A-T is no longer optional. Google has long valued expertise, experience, authoritativeness and trust, and AI search amplifies that. Sites need real author profiles, editorial policies, rating methodologies, risk disclaimers, links to regulators, and transparent comparison criteria. A casino ranking with no methodology will lose ground to both competitor sites and Google's own AI answers.
FAQ sections should close real user questions, not stuff keywords. Good FAQ for a betting offer might include: What is the minimum deposit for the bonus? Can you withdraw the bonus immediately? Which odds count toward wagering? Does the promo code work for players in Georgia? Do you need KYC before the first withdrawal? What happens if you use a VPN?
Risks for content sites and how to reduce them
The main risk is falling CTR on informational queries. If Google closes the top of the funnel with an AI answer, sites get fewer clicks. But not all content is equally vulnerable.
Most at risk: generic definitions, simple how-to guides, short tutorials without unique insight, news without analysis, rewritten reviews, templated rankings.
More resilient: pages with original tests and measurements, local GEO guides, reviews with real screenshots and verification, calculators and tables, expert comparisons, content built on proprietary data.
An article titled 'What is wagering' can be compressed into one AI paragraph. A piece titled 'Wagering conditions at 20 casinos for CIS players: where you can actually withdraw a bonus', with tables, dates and sources, is harder to replace.
What affiliate and media buying teams should test
Traffic sources beyond Google will still feel the impact. Users check offers before converting, especially on high-intent verticals like deposits, finance and gambling. After clicking a creative, a user may ask AI whether the brand is trustworthy. If AI aggregates negative reviews into a short answer, even a high-CTR landing page will not save the funnel.
Reputation content will influence conversion rate more than before. Pre-landers need to provide verifiable value: explain terms, show comparisons, answer objections. For iGaming, consistency across creative, pre-lander and landing page is critical. If the ad promises 'bonus with no conditions' and the landing page shows wagering x40, AI or user verification will surface the mismatch quickly.
Affiliate teams should consider adding 'terms in plain language' blocks to pre-landers, building separate pages for branded queries and reviews, monitoring how AI tools paraphrase offers, checking which sources Google cites for key money queries, and tightening consistency between creatives and landing pages.
Conclusion
The AI buttons on Google's home page are a small interface test but a large strategic signal. Google is moving toward search where users state a task and the system delivers an action or answer directly.
For SEO, that means less reliance on traditional rankings and more focus on structure, trust and data quality. For affiliates, it means packaging offers with accuracy and transparency, because users have more tools to verify claims before converting. Success will belong to those whose data, expertise and brand hold up at every point in the user journey: SERP, AI answer, pre-lander, review and landing page.
