Google updates Search Central doc with AI Overview opt-out methods
Google revised its "Manage content you share on Google Search" documentation on October 21, adding two rows to the "How to hide" table that clarify how site owners can control appearance in AI Overviews and AI modes. The update organizes existing tools rather than launching new features; the settings have been globally available since August 31.
What you can do with it
AI at Work →Track opt-out impact on traffic
Site-wide toggle to include, exclude, or inherit AI Overview participation.
- Who for
- marketers, founders, operations and online shops
- Cost
- free
- Effort
- minutes
- Already included in
- Google Search Console
Use it for
- Prevent AI summaries
- Manage AI visibility across all pages
- Track opt-out impact on traffic
How to set it up · From the article
- Open Search Console and select your property
- Go to Settings > Generative AI in Search
- Choose Include, Exclude, or Inherit from parent
Watch out Changes take 1-2 days; does not stop AI training
Search Console Generative AI in Search setting in the tool directory
Key points from the news
- Search Console 'Generative AI in Search' setting lets sites opt out of AI Overviews and AI modes site-wide
- Robots meta tags and data-nosnippet control page-level AI display but also affect standard search snippets
- Google-Extended in robots.txt separately controls AI training data, not search feature inclusion
Site-wide control is now managed through Search Console's "Generative AI in Search" setting with three options: Include, Exclude, or Inherit from parent. Excluding a site removes it from AI Overviews, AI modes, and generative AI features in Discover, with changes taking effect in 1-2 days. This setting does not affect standard search rankings or remove pages from search.
Page-level control uses robots meta tags (nosnippet, max-snippet), data-nosnippet attributes, and X-Robots-Tag headers. These tags also restrict standard search snippets, potentially reducing click-through rates. Google-Extended in robots.txt remains the separate channel for controlling AI training data, distinct from search display settings. The Japanese version of the documentation has not yet been updated.
The story so far
5 episodes →- Google updates Search Central doc with AI Overview opt-out methodsthis story
Google Organizes Methods to Opt Out of AI Overviews | Site-Wide Settings, Article Parts Hidden via Tags | 10/22
note.com · 21 October 2026
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