TacticSupportedIn the free check

Let search and AI features show your page (noindex, nosnippet, max-snippet)

Google says a page must be indexed and eligible to show a snippet to appear as a link in AI Overviews or AI Mode. A stray noindex or nosnippet in a meta tag or HTTP header removes it. This is a documented rule, not a correlation.

Best study is at least large-n observational or controlled, with some replication. Outcome data is still mostly correlational.

Supported by Google's own documentation: indexing and snippet eligibility are stated requirements for AI Overviews and AI Mode. It controls Google only; it says nothing about ChatGPT, Perplexity or Claude.

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Why it matters

Google says a page "must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet" to appear as a link in AI Overviews or AI Mode. So one stray noindex or nosnippet, often left over from a staging site or plugin, takes the page out of Google's AI answers. This only affects Google; ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude use their own crawlers (see robots.txt access).

How to fix

  1. Find the rule. View Source and search for noindex, nosnippet and max-snippet, then check the response headers for X-Robots-Tag:

    curl -sI https://www.example.com/your-page | grep -i x-robots-tag

    The free check row says where it found the rule (meta robots, meta googlebot or X-Robots-Tag).

  2. Remove noindex and nosnippet from pages you want found. Look in a CMS "discourage search engines" or "hide from search" setting, an SEO plugin's per-page toggle, a staging setting copied to the live site, or a header set in your server, CDN or vercel.json / next.config.

  3. Set max-snippet no lower than 50 if you want to limit quote length. To let Google choose, use -1 or leave it out:

    <meta name="robots" content="max-snippet:-1">

  4. Use data-nosnippet only on small parts you want kept out of quotes, like changing prices or legal text, never on the main answer. Google supports it on span, div and section:

    <div data-nosnippet>Terms and conditions apply. See our full terms.</div>

  5. Don't block the page in robots.txt to hide it. Google has to crawl the page to see these tags.

  6. Optional: use Search Console's URL Inspection tool to see what Googlebot got and request a recrawl.

How to check it worked: run the free check again. The "Google can show and quote this page" row should pass: "Nothing stops Google from indexing this page or quoting it in AI answers."

What the free check looks for

  • Read the page's <meta name="robots"> and <meta name="googlebot"> tags and the X-Robots-Tag response header. Rules aimed at other crawlers (for example "bingbot: noindex") are ignored.
  • noindex fails: the page can't appear in Google Search or its AI features.
  • nosnippet or max-snippet:0 fails: Google won't quote the page in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
  • Watch if 50% or more of the main text sits inside data-nosnippet, or if max-snippet is set below 50 characters.

Caveats

  • — This controls Google only. ChatGPT, Perplexity and Claude have their own crawlers and rules; see robots.txt access.
  • — Google has to crawl the page to see these tags. If robots.txt blocks the page, Google never sees a noindex.
  • — Changes take effect only after Google recrawls the page, which can take days to months.
  • — Being eligible doesn't mean Google will show you. Indexing and serving are not guaranteed.

Studies and docs

Google Search Central, AI features and your website

2026

To be shown as a supporting link in AI Overviews or AI Mode, a page must be indexed and eligible to be shown in Google Search with a snippet. There are no additional technical requirements. Use nosnippet, data-nosnippet, max-snippet or noindex to limit what is shown.

Google Search Central, Robots meta tag, data-nosnippet and X-Robots-Tag specifications

2026

nosnippet applies to all forms of search results, including AI Overviews and AI Mode, and prevents the content being used as a direct input for them. max-snippet:0 is equivalent to nosnippet. data-nosnippet works on span, div and section elements.

Google Search Central, Block search indexing with noindex

2026

noindex can be set in a meta tag or an X-Robots-Tag HTTP header. For it to work, the page must not be blocked by robots.txt, or the crawler never sees it.

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