Publishers to Get “Fairer Deal” in CMA Shake-up

Publishers can now choose to opt out of Google AI Overviews in a “world-first.”

This week, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that publishers can now opt out of appearing in Google AI Overview. Alongside this, the tech giant is required to ensure publisher content is “properly attributed” with clear links in AI-generated search results.

​The changes are part of the CMA’s conduct requirements on Google, following its designation with strategic market status (SMS) in search services in October last year.

​Following the launch of AI Overviews in May 2024, websites have reported a drop-off in clicks and traffic. Some publishers have reported that the search engine changes have led to as much as a 89% fall in click-through rate (CTR), and in January, publishers projected traffic from search engines declining by over 40% across the next three years.

​Speaking about the shake-up, Sarah Cardell, Chief Executive of the CMA, said that the new requirements will enable “fair treatment, greater transparency and meaningful choice for businesses and consumers.”

​Cardell said while Google has recently announced changes to its search business, the requirements introduced this week have been designed to respond to what Google is doing “now and in the future.”

Indeed, last month, Google announced what it called its “biggest upgrade” in over 25 years with its search box rebuild, alongside Google Universal Cart — both of which have significant implications for publishers, advertisers and affiliate marketers.

Google now has nine months to implement the changes, with the expectation for “important parts” of the controls to be rolled out sooner. The tech company is also required to submit and publish compliance reports every six months for the first year. The changes will only apply in the UK.

So, how can publishers activate opt-out?

On Wednesday, Google announced it is testing a new control to enable website owners to manage how their links and content appear in AI Overview, available through a new toggle in Search Console.

The company is also rolling out new insights for website owners in Search Console, which detail the appearance of their pages in generative AI Search features.

“These insights include impressions metrics and information about which pages appear in AI responses and in what countries,” Google said in the blog post, adding that additional metrics will be introduced over time.

According to Google, sites that opt out will not receive traffic or impressions from its generative AI features, and the control will not be used as a ranking signal for search results outside of gen AI Search features.

Speaking about the implications of the changes, Cardell said that amidst features like AI Overviews, it’s important that content publishers have “appropriate bargaining power” over how their content is used.