The UK competition regulator has given Google until 3 December to tell site owners how many clicks they get from AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google currently reports how often your pages appear in its AI features, and no clicks at all.
Dominic Coutts
This is the number that settles a year of guesswork about what showing up in AI answers is actually worth. Nobody should switch off Google's AI features until they can see it.
What happened
The Competition and Markets Authority, the UK regulator, has given Google until 3 December to tell site owners how many clicks they get from its AI features. At the moment Search Console reports how often your pages appear inside AI Overviews and AI Mode, and reports no clicks for them at all. Google's search engineers have said they are keen to give more data but have nothing to announce yet. Separately, the control that lets you keep your content out of Google's AI features opened to sites worldwide on 31 August, and page level controls follow around 3 March 2027.
What it means for you
Two things are worth knowing. First, you are about to get a real number for what appearing in AI answers is worth in visits, instead of the guesswork everyone has been working from. It is a UK requirement, so Google has not said whether sites elsewhere will see the same thing. Second, today's control is all or nothing. You cannot stay in AI Mode and leave AI Overviews, and publishers have warned that opting out may also drop you from the Top Stories carousel inside AI answers. Google has not addressed that.
What to do
- Leave Google's AI features switched on until the click numbers arrive. With the control bundled as it is, opting out now is a decision made blind.
- Open the generative AI report in Search Console, if your site has it, and write down where your impressions sit this week. That is your baseline for December.
- Put 3 December in the diary and check who has access to your Search Console, so the data does not sit there unread.
Digiday
Real and worth watching, but nothing to act on yet.
You still rank. But Google's answering for you.
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