Earlier this month, Google introduced new methods to manage how Google’s normal search AI options (like AI Mode and AI Overviews) can use your content material and hyperlink to your content material. Properly, Google has launched a brilliant detailed help document explaining the way it all works, together with find out how to entry it, the controls, what it does, the time it takes, the property inheritance, and find out how to submit suggestions.
I do not imagine this doc was out there when Google introduced the characteristic initially of this month, however it’s now out there. I noticed this by way of Glenn Gabe who posted about it on X saying, “If you have not reviewed Google’s help documentation for blocking AI Search, there’s plenty of data there. And that features how little one properties will inherit the settings from father or mother properties, however that may be overridden on the little one property stage.”
The doc explains that this management went into impact June 17, 2026 and impacts AI Overviews, AI Mode and Generative AI options in Google Uncover. In case your website helps it, and proper now, solely UK websites help it, you need to be capable to entry it over here.
There are three choices for controls:
- Embody my website’s hyperlinks and content material in Search generative AI options: Your website’s content material can seem in Search generative AI options, together with exhibiting up as hyperlinks and serving to to floor AI responses in these options. Your website can obtain impressions and site visitors from these options. That is the default management for all properties.
- Exclude my website’s hyperlinks and content material from Search generative AI options: Your website’s content material is prevented from being seen to customers in Search generative AI options, together with being linked to inside these options and serving to with grounding AI responses in these options. You will not obtain any site visitors or impressions from these options. Be taught extra about what excluding your website means.
- Inherit management from father or mother: Your property is following the Search generative AI management worth of its father or mother property. Any adjustments made on the father or mother stage will routinely apply to your property too. You’ll be able to override this and manually configure the management to your property at any time. That is the default in case your property has a father or mother property.
If you happen to exclude your website, Google mentioned “to your website and your website’s content material will not seem in Search generative AI options.” Google added, “this management is not used as a rating or inclusion sign affecting different components of Search.” Content material might be excluded inside 1-2 days after the management goes dwell, however some content material might take longer to be excluded because of caching and propagation throughout Google programs, Google added.
The inheritance part is tremendous particulars, and you need to learn by means of it fastidiously. By default, a property inherits its Search generative AI management from its closest father or mother that has modified its management to cease inheriting. For a property wherein none of its dad and mom manually-configured their management to cease inheriting, the property is ready to inherit the management of its top-level area property.
It’s value studying by means of this new help document even in case you do not plan on utilizing it.
Here’s a screenshot of this management in Search Console:
Discussion board dialogue at X.