By Matt G. Southern
Publication Date: 2026-01-30 14:00:00
Welcome to this week’s SEO Pulse: updates affect publisher control over AI features, how AI Overviews process queries, and what AI model tradeoffs mean for content workflows.
Here’s what matters for you and your work.
Google Explores Letting Sites Opt Out Of AI Search Features
Google says it’s exploring updates that could let websites opt out of AI-powered search features. The blog post came the same day the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority opened a consultation on potential new requirements for Google Search.
Key facts: Ron Eden, principal, product management at Google, wrote that the company is “exploring updates to our controls to let sites specifically opt out of Search generative AI features.” Google provided no timeline, technical specifications, or firm commitment.
Why This Matters For SEOs
Publishers and regulators have spent the past year pushing back on AI Overviews. The UK’s Independent Publishers Alliance, Foxglove, and Movement for an Open Web filed…
