In the beginning of June, Google announced new controls, insights, and opportunities for site owners. One of these features includes a toggle in Google Search Console which allows you to opt your healthcare and pharma content out of being used by Google’s AI features. Features include AI Mode, AI Overviews, and Discover features, and the toggle has already started rolling out since June 17th.
Our blog takes a closer look at this toggle and provides more information on what it does, why you may want to opt out, and the potential limitations of doing so.
What does the toggle in Google Search Console do?
After receiving feedback from website owners about how their site appears in AI features, Google has been trying to increase the amount of control site owners have over their visibility in AI responses and how their content is used by AI features.
One feature Google has recently released is a toggle in Google Search Console that allows site owners to decide whether they want their content to appear in its generative AI features. The main features this covers are AI Overviews, AI Mode, and Discover.
By clicking Disable in Google Search Console, you would be opting your healthcare and pharma content out of being used by Google’s AI features. This means your site will not receive any traffic or impressions from Google’s generative AI features. For most sites, this toggle visibility in AI features is crucial to compete in AI search, but for healthcare and pharma, this may be something to consider.
Why might the GSC AI visibility toggle be useful for pharma and healthcare companies?
Healthcare and pharma websites are among the pool of sites that may consider using this toggle. This is mainly due to not wanting their sensitive content and information being used in AI-generated features. Opting out of AI features would prevent healthcare content from being misinterpreted and hallucinated by AI, which can lead to false information and privacy issues.
Should you opt out of AI Overviews and AI Mode?
For healthcare sites that do turn off this toggle, Google has stated that “this control will not be used as a ranking signal outside of these generative AI Search features”. Therefore, opting out of Google’s AI features simply means your healthcare and pharma content will not appear in these responses when an HCP or patient searches. Instead, HCPs and patients will get accurate information from reading content straight from the source, healthcare sites, as opposed to AI features that may have pulled information from different sources and put it into one answer.
However, one of the limitations of opting out includes missing out on AI visibility and presence, which may be a disadvantage with zero-click searches increasing. In addition, opting out when your competitors do not leaves an open space for them to increase their visibility.
The opt-out of AI visibility toggle in Google Search Console should be considered on a case-by-case basis, and you should look at the data first to see how your healthcare and pharma site is appearing in Google’s AI features and how HCPs and patients are searching.
Get in touch with our data team to understand how we can help you make sense of your data before you make a choice over visibility in AI.
