Google just gave more website owners an AI visibility switch. Here is what to do with it.

For the last month, a new Google setting that lets website owners control whether their business shows up in AI-generated search results was only available for UK-based sites. That just changed.

On July 9, business owners in the US and other countries started seeing the option appear in their accounts. It is not available for everyone yet, but it is rolling out.

Here is what the switch does — and what you should think about before you flip it.

The new setting in your Google account

Google’s free tool for website owners (it is called Search Console) now has an option under Settings → AI Controls. It lets you decide whether your business appears in Google’s AI-generated search features — the boxes at the top of search results that answer questions directly, like AI Overviews.

Three things to know about how it works:

1. Turning it off is all or nothing. If you switch it off, Google will not use your content in any of its AI-powered search features. Your business will not appear in those answer boxes at all.

2. It does not change where you show up in regular search results. Turning this off will not help or hurt how high your website ranks in normal Google searches.

3. You stop being seen in AI searches entirely. If people were finding your business through AI Overviews, that traffic stops. You cannot keep the visibility you like and block the rest — it is one switch for everything.

Why this setting exists

A few months ago, the UK’s competition regulator required Google to give websites a way to control whether their content shows up in AI-generated answers. Google launched the setting in the UK first, and now it is expanding to other countries.

At the same time, Google is also rolling out a new report inside Search Console that shows how often your website appears in AI search results — what countries see it and what devices they use. It does not show click data yet, but it is the first real look at how Google’s AI features actually use your content.

What a local business should do

If you see this new setting, your first thought might be to turn it off. Why let AI summarize your content when you want people to visit your site?

Before you do, think about what you lose:

• If Google’s AI answers already mention your business, that visibility is happening right now. Switching it off removes you from a place where customers already see your name.

• When someone asks Google a question about local businesses like yours, the AI often pulls from places you control — your website, your Google Business Profile, your online reviews. Being absent from those AI answers means the next-best source fills the gap. That might not be you.

• You cannot pick and choose. This switch covers everything. You cannot say “block the AI on this page but keep it on that one.”

The smarter move for most local businesses is to leave the setting on and focus on making sure the information Google’s AI can find about you is accurate and up to date. That means checking your website, your Google Business Profile, your online directories, and your reviews — and making sure they all tell the same story.

Having your business show up in AI-powered search is still better than not showing up at all. An empty answer box does not help anyone.

If you want to know what AI search actually rewards — and why it is closer to brand reputation than traditional SEO — last week’s post covers that: What AI Search Actually Rewards — Reputation, Reviews, Word of Mouth.