Chris Grant (he/him) September 14, 2026 A 4 minute read

Google Search Console’s AI Search Data Still Has Some Big Gaps

Google has added dedicated reporting for AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search Console, giving website owners a clearer view of when their pages appear in Google’s AI-powered search features.

It is a useful step forward, but there is an important catch: the data does not yet tell the whole story.

Google’s John Mueller has acknowledged that reporting a meaningful “position” for links within AI search results is difficult. In practical terms, that means the familiar Search Console numbers need a little more care than usual before they are used to judge whether AI search is helping or harming your website.

What has Google added to Search Console?

Google introduced its Generative AI performance reports in June 2026 and completed the worldwide rollout at the end of August. The reports provide a filtered view of your website’s presence in generative AI features, including AI Overviews and AI Mode.

They can show:

  • how often URLs from your site appeared in AI search features;
  • which pages appeared;
  • the country where the appearance took place;
  • the device used for Search results; and
  • changes over time.

This is welcome information. Until recently, AI search visibility was largely mixed into normal web search reporting, making it difficult to understand whether a page was appearing in a traditional result, an AI Overview, or both.

Why the numbers need careful interpretation

Search results are no longer simply a list of ten links. A page may include adverts, maps, shopping results, videos, featured snippets, AI Overviews and more. AI results can also contain several links, some immediately visible and others hidden behind a “Show more” option.

That makes traditional reporting concepts less straightforward.

For example, an impression can be recorded when your link appears within an AI Overview served to a user, even if the person did not scroll far enough to actually see it. On the other hand, links hidden behind an expandable section may not be counted until the user opens that section.

Neither figure is necessarily wrong, but they describe different things. One may suggest visibility that was not actually seen, while the other may miss a genuine appearance until someone interacts with the result.

“Average position” does not mean your link’s position

The other major limitation is position reporting.

Where a page appears inside an AI Overview, Search Console currently records the position of the AI feature as a whole. It does not show where your individual link appeared among the links within that answer.

So, if an AI Overview appears prominently near the top of the results, Search Console may report a strong average position even where your business’s link was lower down within that AI result. It is not a reliable way to compare your visibility against the other sites cited in the same answer.

Mueller has said that Google is currently treating these results as a block because finding a more useful way to report individual positions is hard. Google has invited feedback from site owners and SEO professionals as it develops the reports further.

What this means for small business websites

This does not mean Search Console has become unhelpful. Far from it. It remains one of the best free sources of information about how your website performs in Google Search.

It does mean that AI search impressions should not be treated as a simple scorecard. A rise in AI impressions is interesting, but it does not automatically mean more people saw your link, visited your website or became a customer.

For a small business, the more useful questions remain:

  • Are the right people finding your services?
  • Are they visiting useful pages rather than getting stuck on an unhelpful one?
  • Are calls, enquiries, bookings or sales increasing?
  • Does your website clearly explain what you do, who you help and where you work?

AI search may change how people discover businesses, but it does not replace the basics. Accurate service information, clear contact details, sensible page structure, useful local content and a website that is easy to use still matter.

Our advice: use AI reporting as one signal, not the whole answer

It is sensible to keep an eye on the new AI reports in Search Console, particularly if you publish helpful guides, answer common customer questions or operate in a competitive local market.

However, avoid making sweeping changes to your website based on one new metric. Look at the wider picture: Search Console, website analytics, enquiries, phone calls and the quality of the customers coming through your door.

Google’s reporting will almost certainly improve over time. For now, the best approach is to continue creating genuinely useful pages for real customers, then use the available data as evidence to guide sensible improvements.