Google brings AI visibility reporting to Search Console: What it means for marketers
Summary
New AI visibility reporting: Now able to track website mentions that appear in Google’s AI features
Click data omitted from reports: A sign of things to come by Google?
AI blocking controls: Website owners can choose to block their content from appearing in AI search features
AI visibility as a performance metric: Brands should now be actively evaluating how and where they appear in AI-generated results
Last month Google introduced a new generative AI report feature, giving marketers fresh insights into how their websites are being referenced in Google’s AI overviews.
The report is slowly being rolled out in Search Console underneath the Performance tab. It’s worth noting that only properties that receive enough impressions in generative AI features on Google Search will ever get access to the report.
The first real look at Google’s AI search performance
For anyone working in search, this new report is a significant step. Over the last two years, trying to understand a brand’s visibility in AI platforms has been somewhat fragmented.
Until now you had no idea how your website impressions were split between Google AI overviews and traditional Google search. Nor did you know which specific pages were being referenced in the AI overviews, or whether your website’s AI visibility was growing or declining.
What the new report covers – and what’s missing
Screenshot of the new Gen AI performance report in Search Console.
The new performance report is the first step toward Google isolating AI metrics from existing search. The Gen AI report shows the number of impressions for a website across the below metrics:
Pages – what URLs appeared in an AI feature
Countries – can see AI visibility by country
Devices – can track AI visibility by mobile or desktop device
Dates – monitor AI impressions by hour, day or month
(Note: An impression is anytime a webpage appears in a search result)
However, there are a couple of significant gaps in the report. At the moment there is no click data or click through rates, meaning we still can’t see how many clicks AI Overviews or AI Mode is driving.
The total impressions you see is a combined view of impressions for a website in both AI Overviews and AI Mode, meaning you are unable to split out impressions between these two placements.
There is also no query or keyword data, so we are unable to see which prompts or searches are driving impressions.
Even without the click-through or query-level data, it is still incredibly valuable to know which pages on your website Google’s AI models regard as most relevant.
Why is Google finally sharing AI data?
This feature looks to be added in response to Bing’s Webmaster platform, which began reporting on Gen AI traffic since January 2026. As the tech giant fights to maintain its foothold in many different industries, Google is launching new products and features to stay relevant in this ever-changing space.
As well as keeping in line with competitors, Google did promise publishers that improved controls around limiting AI crawlers access to their websites would come into effect, after a complaint from the EU earlier in the year.
As part of this new Gen AI report update, Google added a toggle in Search Console which allows publishers to choose whether they want their content to appear in AI results, and in turn, be used for the ‘fine tuning’ of Google’s AI models.
The new opt-out toggle feature for AI summaries in Search Console.
It is interesting that this new rollout has launched first in UK markets, where a recent ruling by the Competition and Markets Authority has forced Google to ‘provide a way for publishers to opt-out of their content being used to train and power AI features in Google search.’
We have seen this rollout appearing in Search Console for some larger Irish clients. Small website owners and publishers in other countries are still waiting to see the new report and toggle feature.
Should I remove my content from Google’s AI overviews?
In terms of using the new toggle feature to remove your content from AI answers, for majority of brands, the answer is no.
This feature is designed for large scale publishers or news agencies who don’t want their information taken out of context, or whose entire business model depends on click revenue.
What this all means for Irish brands
This new report from Google all but confirms AI visibility is now a key measure of performance.
If your brand is appearing in AI overviews, this is a strong signal to people searching questions or for solutions, that your brand is one that can be trusted.
If you’re looking for ways to improve your website’s AI visibility, ask yourself:
Are there pages on your website that rank well in traditional search but don’t appear or have low impressions in the Gen AI report?
If the answer is yes, these are your priority pages to optimise. Somewhere you have a gap - whether that be to do with your on-page content or a technical issue like poorly structured content, heavy client-side rendering, or missing or incomplete schema.
What are my strongest performing AI pages?
Sort your Gen AI report in Search Console by pages and overall impressions. Review the top pages based on the above on-page or technical gaps.
If some elements are missing or content can be optimised, addressing these may result in further growth visibility, on top of what is already working.
How is my website trending in AI search?
Start monitoring your AI impression share and compare this with AI-referred sessions in GA4.
Looking at these together, along with your overall brand search volume, paints the most-reasonable picture, relating AI visibility to commercial impact.
The bottom line
Marketers have been asking for some level of AI visibility from Google for a while now. This new Gen AI report is a first step toward measuring that on their platforms.
For most brands, opting out of AI search is not recommended. Brands should now be actively evaluating how and where they appear in AI-generated results, to ensure they remain visible and relevant as search behaviour continues to evolve.
At Core, we’re already working with clients across Ireland to navigate this transition. Whether you're a large eCommerce brand or a local service provider, the key is to stay informed, stay flexible, and keep testing.
Got questions about how AI Overviews might impact your business? Drop us a line. We’d be happy to help you futureproof your SEO strategy.
