Understand the Search Console control and plan a decision without accidentally excluding the whole website from Search.
The control concerns specific features
Google states that Search generative AI control rolled out globally on 31 August 2026. It covers AI Overviews, AI Mode and generative features in Discover. It does not remove the entire site from Google. Define the objective first: content-use limits, traffic evaluation or a particular operational issue.
Check property scope and inheritance
The setting is under Settings > Search generative AI in Search Console. A property may inherit a parent’s choice or have its own configuration. Establish scope and decision ownership before saving. A directory-level property is not automatically the whole domain. Record the initial state for later comparison.
Do not confuse exclusion with deindexing
Google says this control is not a ranking or inclusion signal for other parts of Search. It does not govern model training, for which Google points to Google-Extended. Noindex instead excludes content from Search. Do not use it as a substitute when conventional visibility should remain.
Assess what you give up
Exclusion affects links within the specified AI features as well as content use. Consider potential visits and enquiries lost. A publisher selling research access and a service business seeking discovery may have different priorities. Neither should assume opting out automatically returns conventional clicks or increases revenue.
Define a reversible test
Export a baseline and record scope, date, decision owner and review point. Agree what would trigger restoring the previous setting. Avoid the most important selling period merely to gather data faster. Before-and-after comparisons remain exposed to seasons and other changes, so acknowledge their limits.
Allow time and verify behaviour
Documentation describes implementation delay and potentially longer persistence of cached content. Day one is not the final result. Monitor scope, impressions, traffic and conversions. A migration or measurement failure may prevent meaningful interpretation. Keep a change log instead of relying on one chart after the setting changes.
Decide from the business model
Participation guarantees neither citations nor sales; exclusion does not protect the whole business from changing search behaviour. Consider contact value, content purpose and acceptable risk. This guide explains options, not a blanket recommendation to opt out. The responsible owner should decide before any website setting is changed.
Related articles
- AI Overviews and AI Mode visibility in Search Console
- Google Preferred Sources: can a brand become a chosen source?
- Advertising in Google AI Mode: preparing an offer for conversational search
FAQ
Does this remove the site from all Google results?
No. It concerns specified generative features. Noindex and model-training controls have different scopes.
Will exclusion bring clicks back to conventional results?
That is not guaranteed. Evaluate actual changes and possible effects on customers and revenue.
Sources
Information checked: 26 September 2026. Feature access may depend on the account.