GlossarySEO
What does nosnippet do?
Also called: data-nosnippet, max-snippet, snippet controls
Definition
nosnippet is a robots rule that stops Google showing a text snippet or video preview for a page. Google says it also keeps the page's content from being used in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
nosnippet, explained
Snippets are the text under your title in search results. Google builds them from your page content and meta description. Its robots meta tag documentation lists several controls: nosnippet removes the snippet entirely, max-snippet:[number] caps its length in characters, max-image-preview limits image previews to none, standard or large, and max-video-preview limits video preview length in seconds.
There's also a finer tool. The data-nosnippet HTML attribute can be placed on span, div and section elements to keep just that text out of snippets, while the rest of the page stays eligible. That's useful for disclaimers, prices that change often, or text that reads badly out of context.
The AI angle matters now. Google's documentation says nosnippet also prevents the content from being used as a direct input in AI Overviews and AI Mode, and that max-snippet limits apply to AI features too. So these rules are how you limit what Google's AI features can quote from a page, at the cost of a less attractive regular result.
For most founders the right setting is no restriction. A page with no snippet looks empty in results, which usually lowers click-through. Use these controls deliberately, on specific pages, when the trade-off is worth it, and check the Performance report afterwards to see what it cost you.
Why it matters for founders
You want your definitions and comparisons quoted, not hidden. But if a page contains text you don't want lifted into snippets or AI answers, these controls are how you limit it.
Example
Your pricing page has a legal note about regional taxes that Google keeps using as the snippet. You wrap the note in <div data-nosnippet>, and Google picks a sentence from the plan descriptions instead.
Common mistakes
- Adding
nosnippetsite-wide and wondering why CTR dropped. - Using
data-nosnippeton elements other than span, div or section. - Expecting
nosnippetto remove the page from the index. It doesn't. - Setting a tiny
max-snippetthat cuts off every description.
Sources
Checked
Related terms
- Meta robots tagThe meta robots tag is an HTML tag in a page's head, like
<meta name="robots" content="noindex">, that tells search engines whether to index the page, follow its links and how to show snippets. - Meta descriptionA meta description is an HTML tag summarizing a page,
<meta name="description" content="…">. Google sometimes shows it as the snippet under a search result, but often writes its own from the page text. - AI OverviewsAI Overviews are AI-generated summaries Google shows at the top of some search results, with links to supporting pages. AI Mode is Google's separate, conversational search experience built on the same idea.
- Featured snippetA featured snippet is a Google result where the descriptive snippet appears first, above the link, to answer a query directly. Google picks it automatically; there's no markup that makes a page one.