How to Keep Your Content Out of Google SGE AI Overviews

Today, we’re diving into something that many content creators and SEO enthusiasts are thinking about after the recent Google I/O and the introduction of Google SGE AI Overviews—how to prevent your content from appearing there.

These nifty little snippets are great for users looking for quick answers, but they can be a double-edged sword for those of us wanting to keep our site traffic up and maintain control over our content. If you’re curious about how to keep your content out of these overviews, you’re in the right place. Let’s get into it!

What are Google SGE AI Overviews?

First things first, let’s break down what Google SGE AI Overviews are. These are snippets that Google generates to give users quick answers by pulling together content from various websites.

While they aim to enhance user experience, they can sometimes reduce the number of visitors coming to your site since users get their answers straight from the search results.

Why You Might Want to Prevent Content from Appearing in SGE AI Overviews

Here are a few reasons why you might not want your content showing up in these overviews:

1. Traffic Retention: You want people to visit your site for the full scoop, not just skim a summary.
2. Content Control: You prefer to have control over how your content is presented.
3. Monetization: Your revenue might depend on people visiting your site.
4. Branding: Maintaining your brand’s voice and message integrity is crucial.

Real-World Discussion on the Impact of Nosnippet

Recently, Lilly Ray raised an important question on Twitter regarding the use of the nosnippet tag and its impact on AI Overviews:

Lilly Ray: I guess I missed this part: AI Overviews are “subject to preview controls” including Nosnippet (which is used to prevent Google from showing certain text in meta descriptions / featured snippets)
@searchliaison @rustybrick can you confirm that using Nosnippet prevents content from displaying in AI Overviews?
If so, if a publisher uses it across the full page content, does that mean the content will no longer show in AI Overviews?
Seems like a pretty big change…

Barry Schwartz responded, clarifying the impact:

Barry Schwartz: Yes, it can prevent your site from being shown as a link card in the AI Overview if done correctly. It won’t stop your content from being used/indexed but rather displayed.

Lilly Ray then followed up with a realization:

Lilly Ray: lol so if I understand correctly, nosnippet removes the link to your site but doesn’t prevent Google from using that page content for the answer
Can’t imagine a single use case for that but OK.

Aleyda Solis added her perspective on content control:

Aleyda Solis: Indeed! The goal should be to give the ability to users to control if their content is not only linked, but also used as a source for the answers / information in the AI Overview 🙂

Finally, Lilly Ray clarified her understanding:

Lilly Ray: I was mistaken. It looks like this prevents the content from being used in the AI Overview at all (thx for pointing me here @AndyBeard)
Not sure why this isn’t a much bigger deal.

The Catch of Disabling SGE AI Overviews

So, here’s the catch. John Mueller shared a link in his tweet replying to Barry. According to the link, using the nosnippet tag will result in the snippet being excluded from web search, Google Images, Discover, AI Overviews.

The document says: “Do not show a text snippet or video preview in the search results for this page. A static image thumbnail (if available) may still be visible, when it results in a better user experience. This applies to all forms of search results (at Google: web search, Google Images, Discover, AI Overviews) and will also prevent the content from being used as a direct input for AI Overviews.

If you don’t specify this rule, Google may generate a text snippet and video preview based on information found on the page.

To exclude certain sections of your content from appearing in search result snippets, use the data-nosnippet HTML attribute.”

In essence, while the nosnippet tag prevents your content from appearing in snippets, it also stops it from being used as a direct input for AI Overviews. This means your content won’t be shown as part of these overviews at all.

While this might seem like a good way to maintain control, it could also reduce the visibility of your site on Google’s platforms. So, use this feature carefully and consider whether the benefits outweigh the potential drawbacks.

There’s another wrinkle to consider. Google says that links in AI Overviews get more clicks than traditional web search results. Hema Budaraju, the Senior Director of Product and search Generative Experience at Google, told us that the link cards within AI Overviews generate a higher click-through rate (CTR) than traditional web search results. However, in the Google Search Console, Google will not break down impressions and click data for AI Overview links.

Methods to Prevent Content from Appearing in SGE AI Overviews

Alright, now let’s get into the nitty-gritty. Here are the steps you can take to keep your content out of Google SGE AI Overviews:

1. Using the nosnippet Meta Tag
   • Description: This tag stops Google from displaying any snippet from your page in search results.
   • Implementation: Add this meta tag to the <head> section of your HTML: <meta name="robots" content="nosnippet">
   • Effect: Prevents Google from using any part of your page content in SGE AI Overviews and featured snippets.
2. Blocking Specific Sections with data-nosnippet
   • Description: Use this attribute to prevent specific sections of your page from being included in snippets.
   • Implementation: Apply the attribute to the HTML elements you want to exclude: <p data-nosnippet>This content will not appear in Google snippets.</p>
   • Effect: Only the marked sections are excluded from snippets, allowing you to control what parts of your content remain visible.
3. Adjusting the max-snippet Meta Tag
   • Description: This tag lets you specify the maximum length of snippets.
   • Implementation: Add the following meta tag to the <head> section with the desired maximum snippet length: <meta name="robots" content="max-snippet:0">
   • Effect: Setting the length to 0 effectively prevents any snippet from being displayed.
4. Using X-Robots-Tag HTTP Header
   • Description: This header can control how search engines index and display your content.
   • Implementation: Configure your server to include the header in the HTTP response: codeX-Robots-Tag: nosnippet
   • Effect: Prevents Google from generating snippets for the page, similar to the nosnippet meta tag.
5. Canonical Tags and Content Duplication
   • Description: Properly manage duplicate content with canonical tags to avoid unwanted snippets.
   • Implementation: Use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of your content: <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.example.com/preferred-page">
   • Effect: Helps Google understand the primary source of the content, reducing the chance of unwanted snippets.

Best Practices for Implementing Snippet Control

1. Review and Audit Content Regularly: Ensure that snippet control tags and attributes are correctly implemented and up-to-date.
2. Monitor Search Performance: Use tools like Google Search Console to track how changes affect your search traffic and visibility.
3. Stay Informed on SEO Trends: Follow Google’s latest SEO practices and guidelines to ensure your strategies remain effective.

So there you have it! Controlling the appearance of your content in Google SGE AI Overviews requires a strategic approach using meta tags and other HTML attributes. By implementing the methods we’ve discussed, you can maintain greater control over your content’s visibility and how it is presented in search results, ensuring that your website traffic and user engagement are not adversely affected. Happy optimizing!