What are the controls?
nosnippet stops Google showing a text snippet for the page. data-nosnippet hides a specific part of a page. max-snippet limits snippet length. noindex removes the page from Search entirely. Google says these are the controls for limiting the information shown from your pages.
Sources: Google Search Central: AI features and your website · Google Search Central: Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet and X-Robots-Tag
Could I be blocking myself by accident?
Yes. Google says that to be a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, a page must be indexed and eligible to show with a snippet. A nosnippet left on an important page by a plugin or developer can quietly keep it out.
Sources: Google Search Central: AI features and your website
What if my content still appears after I add a control?
Google suggests checking the URL Inspection tool to confirm Googlebot sees the control, and allowing time to recrawl, which it says can take from several days to several months. You can also request a recrawl.
Sources: Google Search Central: AI features and your website
What about Google-Extended?
That's a separate control for limiting AI training and grounding in some of Google's other systems. Google says robots.txt rules for Googlebot are what control crawling for Search itself.
Sources: Google Search Central: AI features and your website
References
- Google Search Central: AI features and your website
- Google Search Central: Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet and X-Robots-Tag
All sources checked on 6 October 2026. Studies cited show correlations, not guarantees. Results vary.
Go deeper: the AI Search Flywheel and the 127-Point AI Search OS.
Answered by Dr. Radhakrishnan KG
Founder, WebNamaste · In search since 2006 · Updated 6 October 2026