Search Console's AI report and AI opt-out are now available to every site

Last updated 13 October 2026 · By the XKey team

What's new in Search Console?

• AI performance insights: impressions in Google's generative AI features, which of your pages appear in AI answers, and in which countries. Google says it will add more measurements over time. There are no click or search-term figures yet.
• An AI opt-out toggle: a setting that decides whether your site can appear in, and be used to ground answers in, AI Overviews, AI Mode and AI Overviews in Discover.

Google first offered both to a group of UK website owners from 3 June 2026, before the worldwide rollout. If you can't see the report, your site may not have enough data in AI features yet.

Should I opt out of AI Overviews?

For almost every small business, no. Google says sites that opt out "will not receive traffic or impressions" from its generative AI features. It also says the setting won't be used as a ranking signal for normal search results, so opting out doesn't harm your blue-link rankings – but it does give up a growing source of visibility. AI Overviews appear on many local and "how to" searches, and being the page Google quotes can still bring customers.

Opting out makes more sense for publishers whose content is the product, such as news sites or paid courses, who would rather people read it on their own site.

What should I do now?

• Open Google Search Console and look at the new AI report. Note which pages already appear in AI answers – they show what Google trusts you on.
• Run your key pages through the AI SEO checker to see what makes a page easy for AI tools to quote.
• Read our guide to Google AI Overviews for how to get cited, and AI search optimisation for ChatGPT and the others.

Sources

• Google: new controls for website owners (updated 31 August 2026)