Google has made the links within the Things To Know box more prominent by placing some of those links outside of the accordions. So you no longer have to click to expand the Things to know section to get some of the links, some are shown in the top section by default.
This is showing up for me on mobile search and was first spotted by Brian Freiesleben on Twitter. Here is a screenshot I took:
Here is a screenshot or three from Brian:
Now seeing organic links to sites within the “Things to know” search feature and outside of its accordions.
— Brian Freiesleben (@type_SEO) July 25, 2023
When clicking on one of these links, it takes you directly to the source + highlights the answer. pic.twitter.com/gjbXdWGTax
We covered the "things to know" section a lot here, just search this site for the topic.
Update: I had a gut feeling this wasn't new:
Don't thing it's new.
— Khushal Bherwani (@b4k_khushal) July 27, 2023
This - https://t.co/oJx1XHYRC7
Forum discussion at Twitter.