Search Console Introduces Performance Reports for Generative AI Search

Google just made one of the most significant Search Console additions in recent memory. On June 3, 2026, Google officially launched dedicated Search Generative AI Performance Reports inside Google Search Console — giving website owners, for the very first time, a separate, dedicated view into how their content performs within AI-driven search features like AI Overviews and AI Mode.

If you’ve been asking, “Is my website appearing in AI search results?”, you now have a tool to find out.

What Are the New Generative AI Performance Reports?

Until now, if your pages appeared in AI Overviews, those impressions were quietly bundled inside the standard Performance report under the “Web” search type. You had no clean way to separate AI-sourced impressions from traditional organic ones.

That changes today.

Google has introduced a standalone Generative AI Performance Report that lives as its own section within Search Console. It is specifically designed to show visibility data from generative AI features — and importantly, it does not replace the existing overall performance report. Your existing data stays intact; this is an additive, dedicated lens.

According to Google:

“The new Search Console reports are designed to give you dedicated views of your impressions within generative AI features on Search, such as AI Overviews and AI Mode, as well as generative AI features in Discover.”

There are two report variants launching today:

• Search Generative AI Performance Report — tracks AI appearances in Google Search results
• Discover Generative AI Performance Report — tracks AI appearances within Google Discover

What Data Does the Report Show?

Here’s a breakdown of the dimensions and metrics available inside the new report:

✅ What’s Included

Dimension	What It Tells You
Impressions	How often your URLs appeared inside generative AI features in Search and Discover
Pages	Which specific URLs are appearing in AI results (and which aren’t)
Countries	Where in the world is your AI visibility coming from
Devices	Desktop vs. mobile breakdown (available for Search only)
Dates	Hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly granularity

❌ What’s NOT Included (Yet)

Notably, the reports do not include click data or query-level metrics. This is a significant omission — you can see that your pages appeared in an AI Overview, but not which search query triggered it, and not whether anyone clicked through to your site.

This mirrors Bing’s approach: Microsoft launched a similar AI Performance dashboard in Bing Webmaster Tools in February 2026, and that too omits click data.

For marketers and SEOs accustomed to click-through rate (CTR) analysis, this will feel limiting. But having impression data at all is a massive step forward compared to the opacity that existed before.

The AI Opt-Out Toggle: A Publisher-Control First

Alongside the performance reports, Google is also testing a site-level opt-out toggle — an unprecedented control that lets website owners choose whether their content appears in AI Overviews and AI Mode at all.

Google has stated clearly that:

• Sites that opt out will not receive traffic or impressions from generative AI features
• The opt-out decision will not be used as a ranking signal for standard (non-AI) search results

This is a meaningful guarantee. Opting out of AI search won’t penalise your regular organic rankings.

Where Is the Opt-Out Rolling Out?

The opt-out control is currently being tested only with a subset of UK website owners, a decision directly tied to regulatory pressure from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). The CMA stated on June 3 that requirements imposed on Google under the digital markets competition regime were designed to give “publishers more control and stronger bargaining power over the use of their content.”

Google has confirmed it will expand access to more site owners globally after sufficient testing.

Who Has Access Right Now?

Both the performance reports and the opt-out toggle are being rolled out to a subset of websites — not everyone will see these features immediately in their Search Console dashboard.

Google is phasing the rollout to allow thorough testing and feedback collection before wider availability. If you don’t see the Generative AI report yet, keep checking — it will expand over time.

Why This Matters for Your SEO Strategy?

This update isn’t just an administrative data tweak. It signals a structural shift in how Google views (and measures) AI search as a distinct traffic channel.

1. AI Impressions Were Always There — Now You Can See Them

For months, SEOs have known that AI Overviews were reshaping the results page but had no clean data to quantify the impact. Impressions climbed while clicks stayed flat, and the reasons were impossible to isolate. This report begins to unmix that data.

2. It Validates AI Search as a Real SEO Channel

The fact that Google has created a separate report category — alongside Search and Discover — signals that AI-generated search experiences are now treated as a first-class traffic surface. Understanding your AI search optimisation approach is no longer optional.

3. AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) Gets a Measurement Layer

Those investing in AEO and GEO strategies finally have a way to track whether their content is being surfaced by AI answers. Previously, you were optimising with no feedback loop. Now you have one — even if it’s partial.

4. The Opt-Out Changes the Publisher Equation

The toggle gives publishers a lever they’ve never had before. If you’re a news publisher, a specialist content creator, or a brand concerned about how AI features display (or misrepresent) your content, you now have a formal mechanism to engage — or disengage.

How to Use This Data Effectively?

Now that you have AI impression data, here’s how to put it to work:

Check Which Pages Are Surfaced in AI Results

Head to the Pages dimension in the Generative AI report and identify which URLs are earning AI impressions. Cross-reference this with your standard organic performance data. Pages getting strong AI impressions but low traditional clicks may indicate your content is being consumed directly inside the SERP — useful for understanding zero-click search dynamics.

Look for Country-Level Patterns

Some markets may engage with AI Overviews more heavily than others. Use the Countries dimension to understand where your AI visibility is strongest — and where there might be an opportunity to improve.

Monitor Over Time

Use date granularity (monthly or weekly to start) to detect trends. If your AI impressions drop after a core algorithm update, that tells you your content may have been deprioritised for AI features specifically — a different signal than losing standard rankings.

Audit Your Content for AI Readiness

Pages that do well in AI Overviews tend to be well-structured, factually clear, and authoritative. If certain pages are missing from AI results, it may be time to review their on-page SEO and content depth. Ensure your structured data is correctly implemented — it directly influences AI answer selection.

Reassess Your Content Strategy

If your AI impressions are low despite strong traditional rankings, consider whether your content is formatted in ways that AI can easily extract and cite. This connects to broader guidance on optimising content for Google’s AI Overview and optimising for AI Mode visibility.

How Google’s AI Report Compares to Bing’s?

It’s worth noting that Microsoft beat Google to the punch with AI performance reporting.

Microsoft launched its AI Performance dashboard in Bing Webmaster Tools on February 10, 2026, giving site owners data on where and how often their content is cited in AI-generated answers across Microsoft Copilot and Bing’s AI summaries. That dashboard shows cited URLs, queries that triggered citations, and citation trends over time — and crucially, it’s already available globally.

Google’s new reports, by contrast, are currently limited to a subset of UK site owners, don’t include query-level data, and don’t show clicks. Both platforms omit click data, reflecting a shared reluctance to expose how much (or how little) AI answers drive actual site traffic.

For site owners operating across both platforms, monitoring both dashboards will become standard practice.

Implications for Local Businesses and Service-Based Sites

For local businesses — whether you’re a law firm, a medical practice, a plumber, or a retailer — AI search is increasingly the first touch point a potential customer encounters. If your local SEO is strong but you’re not appearing in AI answers, you may be invisible at the most critical moment.

The new report helps you understand whether you’re winning or losing in that channel. Pair the data with a strong Google Business Profile strategy, accurate NAP information, and well-structured service pages to improve your chances of being cited in AI responses.

For enterprise businesses managing large websites, the ability to see AI impressions at page level is particularly valuable. Learn more about how enterprise SEO approaches are adapting to AI-first search environments.

What to Watch For Next?

Google has indicated it is “continuing to work with website owners to understand what insights and data would be most helpful.” This suggests the current reporting is a starting point, not a complete solution. Areas likely to expand include:

• Query-level data — which searches are triggering your AI appearances
• Click data — whether users click through from AI responses to your site
• Citation-level detail — where within an AI response your content is referenced
• Global rollout of the opt-out toggle — currently UK-only

The absence of click data is the most pressing gap. Without it, it’s impossible to calculate true ROI from AI impressions or build a meaningful AI-era KPI framework.

Action Steps for Melbourne & Australian Businesses

If you’re based in Australia, the opt-out toggle and full report access aren’t available yet — but preparation starts now:

1. Log into Search Console and check whether the Generative AI report has appeared for your property. Some Australian sites may be in the early-access cohort.
2. Audit your top pages for AI readiness — clear structure, strong E-E-A-T signals, and well-optimised content.
3. Check your structured data — schema markup is a key factor in AI answer selection.
4. Request a free SEO audit to identify gaps in your current setup before the report rolls out widely — knowing your baseline now will make the incoming data more meaningful.
5. Review your position on AI opt-out — consider whether appearing in AI features aligns with your content strategy, and be ready to make an informed decision when the toggle becomes available in Australia.

Conclusion

The launch of Google’s Generative AI Performance Reports in Search Console marks a genuine milestone. For the first time, website owners have a dedicated, separate view into how their content performs across AI Overviews and AI Mode — the features that are increasingly shaping what users see and engage with in Google Search.

Yes, the data is incomplete — no clicks, no queries, UK-first rollout. But the direction is clear: AI search is a distinct channel, and Google is beginning to treat it as one. The businesses that start monitoring, testing, and optimising for this channel now will have a meaningful head start.

If you’re unsure how your website is positioned for AI search or want help making sense of the new data once it arrives in your Search Console, get in touch with our team — we help Melbourne and Australian businesses navigate exactly these kinds of shifts.