# Google Search AI feature changes

> A dated record of Google Search changes relevant to AI search, taken from Google's documentation updates and Search Console Help. It covers the Search generative AI control and report, the llms.txt clarification, spam policies covering AI responses, and the end of FAQ rich results.

- URL: https://geo.casa/ai-search/google-search-changes/
- Change log · Officially documented
- Reviewed: 2026-10-26

Changes here are taken from Google's own announcements: the Search Central documentation updates page and Search Console Help. Dates are Google's, not the date this wiki noticed them. Entries affected by each change are updated and re-reviewed.

## Changes

### 2026-10-21: Developer docs list the Search generative AI control

Officially documented. Google's page on controlling what you share with Google Search now lists the Search generative AI control alongside the robots meta tag, data-nosnippet and X-Robots-Tag. The AI features page itself still did not mention it at this wiki's last review.

Sources: [Google Search Central: Latest Google Search documentation updates](https://developers.google.com/search/updates); [Google Search Central: Control what you share with Google Search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/control-what-you-share)

### 2026-08-31: Search generative AI control and Generative AI performance report rolled out to all sites

Officially documented. Search Console Help states both rolled out to all websites worldwide as of August 31, 2026. The control lets a site exclude its content from AI Overviews, AI Mode and Discover's generative AI features; the report shows impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google's developer page on AI features had not yet mentioned either at this wiki's last review.

Sources: [Google Search Console Help: Search generative AI control - Search Console Help](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16908024); [Google Search Console Help: Generative AI performance report (Search) - Search Console Help](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16984139)

### 2026-06-17: Site move guide: Change of Address for every domain variant

Officially documented. The site move guide now says to submit Change of Address requests for all verified variants of the old domain, including subdomains and www/non-www, during domain migrations.

Sources: [Google Search Central: Latest Google Search documentation updates](https://developers.google.com/search/updates); [Google Search Central: Site moves and migrations](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes)

### 2026-06-15: Google says Search ignores llms.txt files

Officially documented. A note added to the AI optimization guide says Google Search doesn't use llms.txt or similar files, and that maintaining them neither helps nor harms visibility in Google Search.

Sources: [Google Search Central: Latest Google Search documentation updates](https://developers.google.com/search/updates); [Google Search Central: Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide)

### 2026-06-15: FAQ rich result documentation removed

Officially documented. Google removed the documentation because the FAQ rich result is no longer shown in Google Search.

Sources: [Google Search Central: Latest Google Search documentation updates](https://developers.google.com/search/updates)

### 2026-05-15: Spam policies explicitly cover generative AI responses

Officially documented. Google clarified that its spam policies apply to all of Google Search, including attempts to manipulate generative AI responses.

Sources: [Google Search Central: Latest Google Search documentation updates](https://developers.google.com/search/updates); [Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies)

### 2026-05-08: FAQ rich result deprecated

Officially documented. Google announced that the FAQ rich result would no longer appear in Google Search starting May 7, 2026.

Sources: [Google Search Central: Latest Google Search documentation updates](https://developers.google.com/search/updates)


## Sources

- [Google Search Central: Latest Google Search documentation updates](https://developers.google.com/search/updates)
- [Google Search Console Help: Search generative AI control - Search Console Help](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16908024)
- [Google Search Console Help: Generative AI performance report (Search) - Search Console Help](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16984139)
- [Google Search Central: Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/ai-optimization-guide)
- [Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies)
- [Google Search Central: Site moves and migrations](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes)
- [Google Search Central: Control what you share with Google Search](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/control-what-you-share)