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If you want your website to appear in Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode, there is now a direct setting in Google Search Console that lets you control whether your content is eligible to appear in Google’s generative AI features.
Go to:
You will find a control with options to Include or Exclude your site from Google’s generative AI search features.
But there is an important distinction: choosing Include does not guarantee that Google will show your website. It only makes your content eligible to appear as links or help ground AI responses. Google still decides which sources to use for each search.
Currently, the control covers:
If you choose Include, your content can potentially:
If you choose Exclude, Google says your crawled content will not be eligible to appear in these generative AI search features or to be used as input for generating their responses. You also won't receive impressions or traffic from those features.
Important: Include does not mean "Google will rank my site in AI results." It simply keeps your site eligible.
The Search generative AI control is not a ranking or inclusion signal for the rest of Google Search. Changing it does not directly give your website a ranking boost in traditional search results.
Think of it as an eligibility control:
Include → Your content can participate in Google's generative AI search features.
Exclude → Your content is not eligible for those features.
It is not:
Include → Google ranks your website higher.
That distinction is important when evaluating your SEO strategy.
The Search generative AI control does not control AI training.
Google specifically states that the control for limiting the use of content for training models used for Google's AI experiences is
So, in simple terms:
Don't confuse these controls because they solve different problems.
The report provides data about how your site performs in Google's generative AI search features, including AI Overviews and AI Mode.
You can use it to see:
That gives you a useful signal about which types of content Google is already using in generative search.
The Generative AI performance report provides dimensions such as pages, countries, dates, and devices, but it does not give you a complete list of the actual prompts or questions users entered that resulted in your site's appearance in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
That means you might see that a page generated hundreds of AI impressions without seeing the exact questions behind those impressions.
This is one of the biggest measurement gaps in AI search today.
You can measure visibility, but you don't get a complete log of the underlying user questions.
There is another important detail: Google Search Console also doesn't include data from Search Labs experiments in this report.
The tool provides information about citations across supported AI experiences, including Microsoft Copilot, AI-generated summaries in Bing, and selected partner integrations.
One particularly useful metric is Grounding Queries.
Grounding queries show key phrases associated with the content retrieval that resulted in your page being cited.
Bing describes these as a sample of the overall citation activity, so they should not be treated as a complete record of everything users asked an AI system.
You can also see page-level citation activity, which helps identify URLs that are frequently referenced by supported AI experiences.
It is better to think of it as a phrase or query signal associated with the information retrieval process that led to your content being cited.
For example, your page might be cited around a topic such as:
That does not necessarily mean the user literally typed those three words.
The useful insight is that your page is being retrieved as a source around that topic.
This can help you identify:
A website could receive thousands of AI impressions without generating meaningful traffic.
That is why AI visibility should also be connected to analytics.
Google Analytics now has a dedicated AI Assistant channel for traffic from recognized AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek, Copilot, and Grok. Google also notes that this channel does not include traffic from Google's AI Overviews or AI Mode.
This gives you a more useful measurement chain:
Google Search Console
Did my content appear in Google's generative AI Search features?
Bing Webmaster Tools
Which pages are being cited, and around which grounding query phrases?
Google Analytics
Did users actually visit my site from AI assistants, and what did they do afterward?
AI visibility tools
Am I visible for important prompts and topics that matter to my business?
Keyword → Ranking → Click
AI search adds several new layers:
Question → Retrieval → Citation → Visibility → Visit → Conversion
The difference is important.
A page can contribute to an AI answer without being the first traditional search result.
It can also be cited without generating a click.
And a page that gets relatively few citations may still produce valuable visitors if the citations happen for highly relevant commercial or informational questions.
That means AI SEO should not be measured using one number.
Instead, track several signals together:
Start with Google Search Console:
Check whether your property is currently included.
If you want your content to remain eligible for Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Include is the relevant setting. It is also the default control for properties unless inheritance from a parent property applies.
Then check your Generative AI performance report and look for pages that are already receiving AI impressions.
After that, use Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance to find pages that are being cited and examine the available grounding query data.
Finally, use Google Analytics to determine whether AI assistants are actually sending visitors to your website.
The goal isn't simply to appear in AI.
The goal is to understand where your content is being retrieved, when it is cited, whether people visit your site, and whether those visits create real value.
AI search measurement is still evolving, but the websites that start collecting this data now will have a much better historical baseline as these systems become a larger part of search.
Go to:
Search Console → Settings → Search generative AIYou will find a control with options to Include or Exclude your site from Google’s generative AI search features.
But there is an important distinction: choosing Include does not guarantee that Google will show your website. It only makes your content eligible to appear as links or help ground AI responses. Google still decides which sources to use for each search.
What Does the Search Generative AI Control Do?
The Search generative AI control lets you decide whether your site's links and content can appear in Google’s generative AI features.Currently, the control covers:
- AI Overviews
- AI Mode
- Generative AI features in Google Discover
If you choose Include, your content can potentially:
- Appear as a link inside AI-generated search experiences.
- Be used to help ground an AI-generated response.
- Receive impressions and traffic from these features.
If you choose Exclude, Google says your crawled content will not be eligible to appear in these generative AI search features or to be used as input for generating their responses. You also won't receive impressions or traffic from those features.
Important: Include does not mean "Google will rank my site in AI results." It simply keeps your site eligible.
Does Include Improve Your Normal Google Rankings?
No.The Search generative AI control is not a ranking or inclusion signal for the rest of Google Search. Changing it does not directly give your website a ranking boost in traditional search results.
Think of it as an eligibility control:
Include → Your content can participate in Google's generative AI search features.
Exclude → Your content is not eligible for those features.
It is not:
Include → Google ranks your website higher.
That distinction is important when evaluating your SEO strategy.
Search Generative AI Is Not the Same as AI Training
Another common source of confusion is the difference between Google Search AI visibility and AI model training.The Search generative AI control does not control AI training.
Google specifically states that the control for limiting the use of content for training models used for Google's AI experiences is
Google-Extended. Google-Extended is a separate robots.txt control and does not affect inclusion in Google Search or act as a Search ranking signal.So, in simple terms:
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Search generative AI control | Whether your content can appear in Google's generative AI Search features |
| Google-Extended | Whether eligible content can be used for certain Gemini model training and grounding purposes |
noindex | Whether a page should be excluded from Google Search indexing |
How Can You See If Your Site Appears in Google AI?
Google Search Console now has a separate Generative AI performance report.The report provides data about how your site performs in Google's generative AI search features, including AI Overviews and AI Mode.
You can use it to see:
- Total generative AI impressions.
- Which pages received impressions.
- Which countries generated those impressions.
- Which devices were used.
- How visibility changes over time.
That gives you a useful signal about which types of content Google is already using in generative search.
Google Still Doesn't Give You the Exact AI Prompt
There is an important limitation.The Generative AI performance report provides dimensions such as pages, countries, dates, and devices, but it does not give you a complete list of the actual prompts or questions users entered that resulted in your site's appearance in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
That means you might see that a page generated hundreds of AI impressions without seeing the exact questions behind those impressions.
This is one of the biggest measurement gaps in AI search today.
You can measure visibility, but you don't get a complete log of the underlying user questions.
There is another important detail: Google Search Console also doesn't include data from Search Labs experiments in this report.
Bing Webmaster Tools Gives You Another View
If you want more insight into how your content is being used in AI-generated answers, Bing Webmaster Tools now offers AI Performance in public preview.The tool provides information about citations across supported AI experiences, including Microsoft Copilot, AI-generated summaries in Bing, and selected partner integrations.
One particularly useful metric is Grounding Queries.
Grounding queries show key phrases associated with the content retrieval that resulted in your page being cited.
Bing describes these as a sample of the overall citation activity, so they should not be treated as a complete record of everything users asked an AI system.
You can also see page-level citation activity, which helps identify URLs that are frequently referenced by supported AI experiences.
What Is a Grounding Query?
A grounding query should not automatically be interpreted as the exact question a user typed.It is better to think of it as a phrase or query signal associated with the information retrieval process that led to your content being cited.
For example, your page might be cited around a topic such as:
PostgreSQL exclusion constraintsThat does not necessarily mean the user literally typed those three words.
The useful insight is that your page is being retrieved as a source around that topic.
This can help you identify:
- Topics where your content has AI visibility.
- Pages that are frequently cited.
- Areas where you could expand or improve your content.
- Subjects where competitors may have stronger coverage.
Don't Measure AI Visibility by Impressions Alone
Showing up in an AI answer is useful, but visibility is not the final goal.A website could receive thousands of AI impressions without generating meaningful traffic.
That is why AI visibility should also be connected to analytics.
Google Analytics now has a dedicated AI Assistant channel for traffic from recognized AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, DeepSeek, Copilot, and Grok. Google also notes that this channel does not include traffic from Google's AI Overviews or AI Mode.
This gives you a more useful measurement chain:
Google Search Console
Did my content appear in Google's generative AI Search features?
Bing Webmaster Tools
Which pages are being cited, and around which grounding query phrases?
Google Analytics
Did users actually visit my site from AI assistants, and what did they do afterward?
AI visibility tools
Am I visible for important prompts and topics that matter to my business?
A Better Way to Think About AI SEO
Traditional SEO is often simplified as:Keyword → Ranking → Click
AI search adds several new layers:
Question → Retrieval → Citation → Visibility → Visit → Conversion
The difference is important.
A page can contribute to an AI answer without being the first traditional search result.
It can also be cited without generating a click.
And a page that gets relatively few citations may still produce valuable visitors if the citations happen for highly relevant commercial or informational questions.
That means AI SEO should not be measured using one number.
Instead, track several signals together:
- AI impressions.
- Cited pages.
- Grounding topics or queries where available.
- AI-generated traffic.
- Engagement after the visit.
- Conversions.
- Changes over time.
What Should You Do Now?
If your website depends on organic search traffic, don't ignore these controls.Start with Google Search Console:
Settings → Search generative AICheck whether your property is currently included.
If you want your content to remain eligible for Google AI Overviews and AI Mode, Include is the relevant setting. It is also the default control for properties unless inheritance from a parent property applies.
Then check your Generative AI performance report and look for pages that are already receiving AI impressions.
After that, use Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance to find pages that are being cited and examine the available grounding query data.
Finally, use Google Analytics to determine whether AI assistants are actually sending visitors to your website.
The goal isn't simply to appear in AI.
The goal is to understand where your content is being retrieved, when it is cited, whether people visit your site, and whether those visits create real value.
AI search measurement is still evolving, but the websites that start collecting this data now will have a much better historical baseline as these systems become a larger part of search.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Google Search Console's Include setting guarantee AI visibility?
No. Include only makes your site's content eligible for Google's generative AI search features. Google still decides which sources to use for a particular search.Does Exclude remove my website from Google Search?
No. The Search generative AI control only affects specific generative AI search features. It does not remove your website from normal Google Search. If you want to prevent a page from appearing in Google Search,noindex is a separate mechanism.