In short. Since early July 2026, Google is rolling out its Search Console generative AI performance report worldwide, after a June 3 launch. You can now see how often your pages appear in AI Overviews, AI Mode and AI Overviews in Discover. The data is finally here, but it stops at impressions: no clicks are reported yet.
On June 3, 2026, Google launched a new report in Search Console: the generative AI performance report. Announced on the Search Central Blog by Hillel Maoz and Moshe Samet, it shows how often your pages are displayed inside Search's AI features. Initially limited to a subset of sites, it has been rolling out globally since early July, alongside detailed documentation on AI controls.
This is a first. Until now, AI Overviews and AI Mode were a black box: no way to know whether your content appeared there, let alone how often. This report opens the box, at least halfway.
What the report actually measures
The report covers three distinct surfaces: AI Overviews (the generated summaries at the top of results), AI Mode (Google's conversational interface) and AI Overviews in Discover. For each, you get the number of impressions of your pages, broken down by page, country, device and date.
Here is the catch. The report shows impressions only, not clicks. So you cannot compute a click-through rate on AI surfaces. Google says more metrics will arrive "over time," with no timeline. In plain terms: you know you are being shown, not what it earns you in traffic.
Why this half-report still matters
Because the impression is becoming the new visibility signal. In a world where 68% of Google searches end without a click, measuring clicks alone is no longer enough. Being cited in an AI Overview, even without an immediate click, builds brand awareness and puts your business inside the answer the user remembers.
This report finally puts a number on something we could only estimate. We have watched it for months: AI cites sources sitting outside the classic top 10. Search Console now lets you confirm, page by page, whether your content is part of the mix.
The move to make. Open your Search Console this week. If the generative AI performance report is available on your property, export impressions by page. You will immediately see which pages Google deems worthy of being cited by its AI, and which stay invisible.
What it changes for businesses
Concretely, three actions become priorities:
- Identify your "cited" pages — the ones showing up in the AI report are your best assets. Study their structure: direct answers, hard numbers, named sources. That is the pattern to replicate.
- Track invisible pages — content that earns classic impressions but zero AI impressions sends a signal: Google does not find it trustworthy or structured enough to cite. That is a priority optimization job.
- Stop judging AI by clicks — since clicks are not reported, steer on impressions and presence. The question is no longer "how much traffic," but "am I in the answer."
This shift ties into a broader finding: AI Overviews sometimes recommend your competitors in 69% of cases. Without measurement, you could not know. With this report, you can finally audit your share of voice inside AI.
The limits: what this report won't tell you
Let's be clear about what the tool does not cover. It measures Google only: not ChatGPT, not Perplexity, not Claude, not Gemini outside Search. Yet ChatGPT now shows its cited sources, and those engines carry more and more weight. The report also says nothing about clicks, about your placement inside the answer, or about the exact wording that got you cited. It is a first sensor, not a full dashboard.
Our take
Google just admitted through its tooling what it denied in its messaging: AI visibility can be measured, so it matters. A report that gives impressions without clicks is frustrating, but it is already a confession. SEO is shifting from the click to the citation, and those who steer AI impressions now will be a step ahead of those who wait for clicks to believe in it.
Sources
- → Google Search Central Blog — generative AI performance report announcement (Hillel Maoz, Moshe Samet, June 3, 2026)
- → Search Console Help — official documentation for the generative AI performance report
- → PPC Land — analysis of the rollout and available metrics
Frequently asked questions
It is a Search Console section, launched on June 3, 2026, that shows how often your pages appear inside Google's AI features: AI Overviews, AI Mode and AI Overviews in Discover. The data is broken down by page, country, device and date.
No. In its current version the report shows impressions only, not clicks. You cannot compute a click-through rate on AI surfaces. Google has said it will add more metrics over time.
You need structured, factual, citable content: direct answers up top, named and sourced data, clear sections the engine can extract. Generic content no longer works; verifiable expertise is what triggers a citation.
Growth and SEO content strategist, I founded Cicéro to help businesses build lasting organic visibility — on Google and in AI-generated answers alike. Every piece of content we produce is designed to convert, not just to exist.
LinkedIn