Opt out of AI Overviews: the CMA's 3 December deadline

What has the CMA required?

The CMA imposed the publisher conduct requirement on Google on 3 June 2026. This is a final decision, not a proposal: the CMA designated Google as having strategic market status in general search on 10 October 2025 and consulted on the requirement from 28 January 2026. The CMA's notice says it comes into force six months after 3 June 2026, with nine months for the page-level control. Its summary of the rules (published 4 August 2026) says Google must:

• give publishers controls to withhold their content from grounding answers in AI features inside Search, such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, and outside Search, such as the Gemini AI Assistant, and from training its generative AI models;
• offer the controls covering grounding inside Search at directory and page level;
• not penalise publishers who use them, for example by downranking them elsewhere in Search;
• provide transparency metrics for Search AI features, "including impressions, clicks, and click-through rate", plus referral data;
• take reasonable steps to attribute publisher content clearly and accurately, with a clear way for users to reach the original source.

The CMA summary states: "Google has until 3 December 2026 to comply with the CR, with an additional 3 months to develop and roll-out a page level control."

This is a short summary of the CMA's publisher conduct requirement and Google's published controls. It is not legal advice. Read the CMA's documents for the full terms.

Can you already opt out of AI Overviews?

Yes, for a whole site or property. Google's Search generative AI control in Search Console lets an owner include or exclude a site's links and content from AI Overviews, AI Mode and generative AI features in Discover. Google says it rolled the control out to all websites worldwide on 31 August 2026.

Google's help page is direct about the trade-off. If you exclude your site, you "won't receive any traffic or impressions from these features", and content from other sites may still appear and look similar to yours. Google says the control is not used as a ranking signal for other parts of Search, and that it does not affect AI training, which is handled by Google-Extended.

Should a business opt out?

For most businesses that want customers to find them, no. An opt-out removes you from the answers your buyers are reading, while other sites can still appear. The CMA defines a publisher as "any party that makes content available on the web", so the controls are open to ordinary business sites too, although the CMA's announcement highlights publishers such as news organisations.

What most businesses gain from December is information. Google's 3 June 2026 announcement, updated on 31 August, introduced a Search Console report showing impressions in AI features, which pages appear and in which countries. The CMA's requirement also covers clicks and click-through rate. When we checked on 11 November 2026, we had not found a Google statement on what will appear in Search Console on 3 December.

What should UK businesses do before 3 December?

1. Verify your site in Search Console if you have not, so you can see the generative AI report and any new metrics from day one.
2. Check your current control setting under Settings, Search generative AI. The default is to include your site. Make sure nobody has changed it by accident.
3. Record a baseline. Note this month's AI feature impressions by page. When new metrics arrive you will have something to compare against.
4. Fix the basics that decide inclusion. Google says a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet to appear as a supporting link, and the site must be included in Search generative AI features in Search Console, which is the default setting. Our AI visibility audit checklist covers the checks.
5. Write pages worth citing. Clear, answer-first pages for each service. See how AI answers choose their sources.

We use AI tools for research, content optimisation and AI-search monitoring. We do not promise a ranking, a traffic figure, or a mention in any answer engine.

FAQ

Can I opt out of Google AI Overviews? Yes. Search Console's Search generative AI control lets a site owner exclude a site from AI Overviews, AI Mode and generative AI features in Discover. Google rolled it out worldwide on 31 August 2026.

Will opting out hurt my normal Google rankings? Google says the control is not used as a ranking signal for other parts of Search, and from 3 December 2026 the CMA rules bar Google from penalising publishers who use the controls. You will lose traffic and impressions from the AI features themselves.

When can I opt out a single page? The CMA gives Google until 3 March 2027, three months after 3 December 2026, to roll out a page-level control. Until then, Google's page-level options such as nosnippet and noindex also change how a page appears in ordinary Search results.

What data will Google have to show? The CMA summary lists impressions, clicks and click-through rate for Search AI features, aggregated across features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, plus referral data.

Keep reading

• AI visibility audit checklist
• How AI answers choose their sources
• Why isn't my business showing up in ChatGPT?
• What is AEO?
• Our GEO service

Questions? Email hello@clearlyseen.co.uk.

Sources (checked 11 November 2026)

• CMA, "Google search publisher conduct requirement" (opened 3 June 2026, updated 4 August 2026): https://www.gov.uk/find-digital-markets-measures/google-search-publisher-conduct-requirement
• CMA, Publisher CR Notice (PDF, 3 June 2026): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a1ec73a59fb7a60f827f64e/Publisher_CR_Notice.pdf
• CMA, publisher CR summary (PDF, 4 August 2026): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a7195d7aec8358a34958bfa/Publisher_CR_4_Aug_2026.pdf
• Google Search Console Help, "Search generative AI control": https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16908024?hl=en
• Google, "New opportunities, control and insights for website owners", 3 June 2026, updated 31 August 2026: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/new-controls-website-owners/