Search Snippet Control for Blocks

by weareallconnected

Description

Search Snippet Control for Blocks adds a toggle within Advanced settings of supported blocks to add a data-nosnippet tag, which excludes that content from search snippets and AI answers. The plugin adds the toggle to these blocks:

Group
Columns
Column
Cover
Media & Text
Buttons
Button

The switch is on by default, which leaves the block’s normal HTML unchanged. Turning it off adds data-nosnippet directly to the block’s existing div, section, or span root during server rendering.

The plugin is designed to be as lightweight as possible and never adds a wrapper. Paragraphs, Headings, Images, Lists, and other content blocks can be placed inside a Group or other supported block when an editor wants to exclude that section from search snippets and AI-generated answers.

Note that adding data-nosnippet does not change indexing or organic search visibility – only the wrapped contents’ eligibility for inclusion in snippets and AI answers.

Installation

Upload the search-snippet-control-for-blocks directory to /wp-content/plugins/.
Activate Search Snippet Control for Blocks in WordPress.
Select a supported block and open its Advanced settings.
Turn off “Allow search engines to use this content in search snippets and AI-generated answers? Does not affect normal indexing.” and save the post.

Screenshots

Toggle enabled by default, enabling content within this block to be used in snippets.
Disabling the toggle adds the data-nosnippet tag to the block, preventing content within that block being used in search snippets and AI answers.
The data-nosnippet tag is added to existing divs, with minimal impact on speed and no extra elements added to the page.

Faq

Why is the setting not shown on Paragraph or Image blocks?

V1 only targets blocks with a compatible existing container, so it can add the attribute without changing the page structure. Place content blocks inside a Group and turn the Group’s allow control off.

Can I use it on Buttons inside a Navigation block?

Yes. Eligibility depends on the selected block type, not its ancestors. The editor is responsible for deciding whether to exclude that content.

Does this remove content from search indexes?

No. The content remains public and normally indexable. The attribute asks supporting search engines not to use the marked text in search snippets or AI-generated answers.

What happens if a Group or Cover uses an incompatible HTML element?

The editor prevents the setting from being turned off, and the frontend renderer leaves the block unchanged. An existing exclusion can still be removed by turning the setting on.

Reviews

Changelog

0.2.0

Make the search-engine usage control on by default and add data-nosnippet only when it is turned off.
Use one stable toggle label and help message in both states.
Identify We Are All Connected as the plugin author and add initial WordPress.org directory metadata.
Rename the plugin to Search Snippet Control for Blocks and use search-engine-neutral interface copy.
Confirm compatibility with WordPress 7.1.

0.1.1

Verify the expected wp-block-* root class before applying data-nosnippet, preventing accidental targeting of markup prepended by another renderer.
Reject non-string block content defensively before HTML processing.
Guard against double loading with class and constant checks.
Adopt the current ToggleControl margin convention in the editor control.

0.1.0

Initial development release.
Support seven core container blocks with direct-root rendering.
Do not add wrappers or apply ancestor-based exclusions.