Google just made one of the most significant updates to Search Console in years. On June 3, 2026, Google officially launched dedicated Search Generative AI Performance Reports, and if you care about where your website stands in today’s search landscape, this is something you cannot afford to ignore.
Here’s everything you need to know, without the technical jargon.
What Changed and Why It Matters
For the past couple of years, Google has been heavily integrating AI into its search results. You’ve probably noticed AI Overviews, those AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of search results before any traditional links. More recently, Google introduced AI Mode, an even more conversational, AI-first search experience.
The problem? Until now, website owners had no clear way to know if their content was actually appearing inside these AI-generated responses. Any AI-related impressions were quietly mixed into the overall performance data in Search Console, making it nearly impossible to separate AI visibility from regular organic rankings.
That’s exactly what Google has now changed.
The new Generative AI Performance Report is a standalone section inside Google Search Console that shows you specifically how often your pages are appearing within AI-powered search features, completely separate from your standard organic data.
What the New Report Shows You
The report breaks down your AI visibility across several key dimensions:
- Impressions: How many times your website URLs appeared inside AI Overviews, AI Mode, or generative features in Discover
- Pages: Which specific pages on your site are being picked up and shown in AI responses
- Countries: Where in the world your AI-driven visibility is coming from
- Devices: Whether users are seeing your content in AI results on mobile, desktop, or tablet
- Dates: Track your performance over time with daily, weekly, and monthly views
This gives you a clear picture of which content Google’s AI considers authoritative and worth surfacing, something that was completely invisible before this update.
What It Doesn’t Show (Yet)
To be straightforward with you, the report has one notable gap right now: click data is not included.
You can see how often your content appears in AI results, but you can’t yet see how many people actually clicked through to your website as a result. Google has confirmed that more metrics will be added over time, but there’s no set date for when clicks will be available.
Think of it this way: you now know you’re being seen, you just can’t fully measure the foot traffic coming in from that visibility yet. It’s a half-open window, but it’s still a major improvement over having no window at all.
The AI Content Toggle – Should You Opt Out?
Alongside this report, Google also introduced a new toggle that lets you opt your content out of AI features entirely. Meaning, if you choose, Google’s AI won’t include your pages in AI Overviews or AI Mode.
Our recommendation? Don’t opt out.
Opting out means giving up the very visibility this new report is helping you measure and grow. As AI search becomes a larger part of how people find information online, being present in these results is increasingly valuable. Unless you have a very specific legal or business reason to opt out, staying in is the smarter long-term move.
Who Can Access It Right Now?
The report is currently being rolled out in phases, starting with a subset of websites, early reports suggest the UK is among the first regions getting access. Google plans to expand availability globally, but no specific date has been announced.
If you don’t see it in your Search Console yet, don’t worry, it’s coming. In the meantime, it’s worth familiarising yourself with how the report works so you’re ready to act the moment it appears in your account.
What This Means for Your SEO Strategy
This update is a signal that AI search is no longer experimental, it’s a distinct, measurable channel. Google treating it with its own dedicated report is confirmation that AI Overviews and AI Mode are here to stay and growing in importance.
For your website, this means:
- Content that answers questions clearly and authoritatively is more likely to be picked up by AI features
- Structured, well-organised pages have a better chance of appearing in AI responses
- Monitoring your AI impressions will become just as important as tracking your traditional keyword rankings
The businesses that start paying attention to AI search visibility now will have a significant head start over those who wait.
Final Thoughts
Google’s new Generative AI Performance Report is a genuine step forward in transparency. For the first time, you can see how your website performs in the AI-powered search experiences that millions of people are using every day.
If you’re not sure how to interpret this data or how to optimise your website for better AI visibility, that’s exactly what we’re here for. At Spider Web Solutions, we stay ahead of every major Google update so your business doesn’t have to.
Ready to improve your visibility in Google’s AI search results? Get in touch with us today.