# Google updates Search Central doc with AI Overview opt-out methods

Digest AI · Marketing & Small Business · published 2026-10-21T19:13:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/google-updates-search-central-doc-with-ai-overview-opt-out-methods

## Summary

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.

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.

## Key points

- 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

## Why it matters

Site owners now have a consolidated reference for choosing between site-wide AI opt-out (preserves standard search) and granular tag controls (affects regular snippets), with training controlled separately via robots.txt.

## Sources

1. [Google Organizes Methods to Opt Out of AI Overviews | Site-Wide Settings, Article Parts Hidden via Tags | 10/22](https://note.com/trex_ai/n/n1214119b72fd?hl=en) (note.com, 2026-10-21)

Part of the developing story: [AI Optimization Race Hits Global Stage](https://digestai.news/thread/semrush-adds-ai-citation-tracking-to-prompt-tracking-tool) (5 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Google updates Search Central doc with AI Overview opt-out methods", 21 October 2026, https://digestai.news/story/google-updates-search-central-doc-with-ai-overview-opt-out-methods

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