Bing adds data-nosnippet attribute for search and AI control

Microsoft introduced the data-nosnippet HTML attribute for Bing on October 15, 2025, giving webmasters and publishers selective control over what content appears in search snippets and AI-generated answers while maintaining page discoverability. The announcement extends existing robots directives with more granular content management capabilities.

The data-nosnippet attribute enables content creators to mark specific HTML sections that should not appear in Bing Search snippets or Copilot responses. Marked content remains indexed and eligible for ranking but gets excluded from previews. This approach differs from broader directives like nosnippet, which blocks all preview content from a page.

"At Bing, empowering creators with meaningful control over their content is a core priority," according to Krishna Madhavan, Fabrice Canel, and Cata Milos, Principal Product Managers at Bing, Microsoft AI. "This is why we're introducing the data-nosnippet HTML attribute." The attribute works across Bing Search and Copilot experiences powered by Bing, maintaining what the team describes as "selective visibility."

The technical implementation involves applying data-nosnippet to any HTML element. When Bing crawls a site, content marked with the attribute remains fully discoverable but won't appear in snippet text or AI-generated previews. The crawled content still counts for ranking purposes, separating preview display from search visibility and ranking potential.

Microsoft provided example HTML markup in its announcement. A standard heading and paragraph might appear in both Bing Search and Copilot answers. However, wrapping content in a div tag with the data-nosnippet attribute prevents that section from appearing in previews. The example shows subscriber content marked with the attribute to protect premium material while keeping the page discoverable.

Implementation timing varies based on Bing's crawl schedule. According to the announcement, changes can appear in search results "anywhere from a few seconds to up to a week." Webmasters can verify implementation through Bing Webmaster Tools using the URL inspection feature to check the last crawl time.

The attribute addresses several content management scenarios. Publishers can protect premium or paywalled content by keeping subscriber-only text, tables, and media out of previews. Brand reputation management becomes more straightforward through excluding comments and volatile reviews from preview displays. Legal boilerplate, disclaimers, licensing information, and cookie notices can be hidden so snippets focus on valuable content.

Additional use cases include suppressing outdated or irrelevant sections such as legacy notices and expired promotions to prevent stale summaries. Sponsored or promotional content, including ads and affiliate content, can be excluded from neutral previews. A/B tests and experiments benefit from hiding variant copy to avoid snippet churn during testing. The approach balances visibility and discretion by surfacing high-value content while keeping sensitive sections behind the click.

The data-nosnippet attribute complements rather than replaces existing Bing robots directives. Common directives include noindex, which prevents page indexing entirely; nosnippet, which blocks all text and preview thumbnails; and max-snippet, max-image-preview, and max-video-preview, which limit the size or duration of preview content. These directives form part of Bing's broader suite of meta tags and HTTP headers managing how content gets indexed, cached, and displayed.

The announcement comes amid substantial enhancements to Bing Webmaster Tools throughout 2024 and 2025. Microsoft extended Search Performance data retention from six months to 16 months in October 2024, then to 24 months in August 2025. The company also introduced device and country filtering options in August 2025, enabling more granular performance analysis.

Bing Webmaster Tools launched its Recommendations feature in October 2024, replacing the previous Insights tool with more comprehensive optimization guidance. These updates demonstrate Microsoft's commitment to competing with Google Search Console while differentiating through unique features and capabilities.

For marketing professionals, the data-nosnippet attribute represents a refinement in how search engines handle publisher content. The marketing community has increasingly focused on balancing content accessibility with protection of premium materials. Paywalled content presents particular challenges when search engines display substantial portions in previews, potentially reducing click-through motivation.

The attribute addresses concerns about AI-generated summaries potentially displacing original content. By marking sections with data-nosnippet, publishers maintain control over what AI systems can display while keeping content available for indexing and ranking. This granular approach differs from blocking AI crawlers entirely, which removes pages from search visibility.

Technical SEO professionals can integrate data-nosnippet into existing content management workflows. The attribute works at the HTML element level, meaning it can be applied to divs, sections, paragraphs, or other structural elements. This flexibility allows precise control without requiring page-level decisions that might overly restrict visibility.

E-commerce sites particularly benefit from the capability to hide pricing information, promotional details, or inventory data from snippets while keeping product pages discoverable. News publishers can protect article content beyond headlines and lead paragraphs. Recipe sites can show ingredients in previews while protecting preparation instructions. Each implementation depends on specific business models and content strategies.

The data-nosnippet attribute operates differently from the robots.txt file, which controls crawler access at the URL level. It also differs from meta robots tags, which apply to entire pages. The HTML attribute level provides middle-ground granularity between element-level and page-level control, fitting between existing mechanisms in the publisher toolkit.

Microsoft's announcement emphasized the balance between openness and creator control. "The data-nosnippet attribute represents another step in Bing's commitment to giving creators meaningful control over how their content is represented across search and AI experiences," according to the announcement. "By offering flexibility without limiting discoverability, it helps ensure that the web remains both open and creator driven."

The timing aligns with broader industry discussions about AI systems and publisher content. Search engines increasingly incorporate large language models into results pages through features like Copilot and AI Overview. These systems generate summaries and answers using indexed content, raising questions about appropriate attribution and content usage.

Data-nosnippet provides publishers with a technical mechanism to participate in these discussions through implementation rather than policy alone. Marking content with the attribute signals explicit preferences about display in AI-generated contexts. This approach puts control in publisher hands rather than relying solely on search engine policies or practices.

Webmasters can combine data-nosnippet with other structured data implementations. Schema markup can still apply to tagged sections, allowing search engines to understand content type and relationships while respecting display preferences. This separation of semantic understanding from presentation control enables sophisticated content management strategies.

The announcement follows Microsoft's emphasis on sitemaps in July 2025. Principal Product Managers Fabrice Canel and Krishna Madhavan explained that sitemaps have become critical infrastructure for websites seeking visibility in AI-powered search systems. The combined guidance suggests Microsoft's approach to balancing discovery efficiency with publisher control.

For international sites, data-nosnippet works consistently across regions and languages. The HTML attribute operates at the code level rather than through language-specific rules or regional settings. This consistency simplifies implementation for sites with multiple language versions or regional variations.

Testing and validation remain essential for proper implementation. Bing Webmaster Tools provides URL inspection capabilities to verify how the search engine sees marked content. The tool displays the last crawl time and indexing status, helping webmasters confirm that data-nosnippet tags are being respected in the rendering process.

The attribute affects both traditional search snippets and AI-powered answer generation. Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant integrated into Bing, respects data-nosnippet markings when generating responses. This consistent behavior across search modalities simplifies publisher strategy by applying a single implementation to multiple display contexts.

Microsoft made the technical details and scenario-based examples available through Bing Webmaster Help. The documentation covers protecting paywalled content and managing user-generated sections, addressing common publisher challenges. The guidance provides implementation patterns for various site types and content models.

The data-nosnippet announcement reflects broader changes in search engine technology and content discovery. Traditional crawling methods face scalability limitations as the web continues expanding. AI-powered systems attempt to address these challenges through more sophisticated content prioritization mechanisms, requiring publishers to adapt strategies accordingly.

Publishers operating on multiple search platforms must now manage data-nosnippet alongside Google's existing nosnippet support and other platform-specific mechanisms. Cross-platform consistency requires understanding how different search engines implement and respect these directives. Documentation and testing across platforms become essential for comprehensive content management strategies.

The October 15 announcement provided immediate technical specifications without a gradual rollout period. Publishers could begin implementing data-nosnippet as soon as the documentation became available. This direct approach differs from feature previews or limited testing phases, indicating confidence in the technical stability and publisher readiness.

Content management systems and publishing platforms may integrate data-nosnippet support into their interfaces, allowing publishers to mark protected content without directly editing HTML. Such integrations would lower the technical barrier for implementation while maintaining the flexibility of element-level control. Publishers should monitor CMS updates for potential native support.

The attribute represents one component in an expanding toolkit for publisher content control. Combined with existing robots directives, structured data, and meta tags, data-nosnippet enables increasingly sophisticated strategies for balancing discovery, display, and protection. Publishers can tailor implementations to specific business models and content types.

For sites with dynamic content, data-nosnippet can be applied programmatically during page generation. Content management systems can evaluate content type, user permissions, or other factors to determine appropriate tagging. This automated approach scales beyond manual implementation for large sites with extensive content libraries.

Timeline

• February 9, 2022: Microsoft introduces Bing News PubHub as part of Bing Webmaster Tools
• October 16, 2024: Bing Webmaster Tools expands Search Performance data to 16-month view
• October 16, 2024: Bing Webmaster Tools launches Recommendations feature for SEO optimization
• October 20, 2024: Bing unveils AI-powered Copilot for Webmaster Tools in limited preview
• December 11, 2024: Microsoft discontinues cache links in Bing search results
• June 9, 2025: Microsoft retires Bing PubHub submission platform
• July 31, 2025: Bing emphasizes sitemaps critical role in AI-powered search era
• August 7, 2025: Bing Webmaster Tools adds device and country data filtering options
• August 8, 2025: Microsoft expands Bing Webmaster Tools data capabilities to 24 months
• October 3, 2025: Bing Places for Business migrates to Bing.com domain with import tools
• October 15, 2025: Microsoft introduces data-nosnippet HTML attribute for Bing Search and Copilot

Summary

Who: Microsoft's Bing team, specifically Principal Product Managers Krishna Madhavan, Fabrice Canel, and Cata Milos, announced the feature. The attribute serves webmasters, developers, publishers, and SEO professionals managing content across Bing Search and Copilot.

What: The data-nosnippet HTML attribute allows marking specific webpage sections to exclude them from Bing Search snippets and AI-generated answers while maintaining full indexing and ranking eligibility. The attribute complements existing robots directives with element-level control.

When: Microsoft announced the data-nosnippet attribute on October 15, 2025. Implementation effects appear in search results between a few seconds and one week, depending on Bing's crawl schedule for specific sites.

Where: The attribute applies to Bing Search results and Copilot experiences powered by Bing. Webmasters implement it through HTML markup on webpage elements. Verification occurs through Bing Webmaster Tools URL inspection feature.

Why: Microsoft introduced data-nosnippet to empower creators with control over content representation in search and AI experiences. The attribute addresses needs for protecting premium content, managing brand reputation, excluding legal boilerplate, suppressing outdated sections, and balancing visibility with discretion. The feature maintains web openness while respecting creator preferences for content display in AI-generated contexts.