Google Now Includes AI Mode Traffic in Search Console Report

Google just confirmed a quiet but important update: Search Console now counts AI Mode traffic in your performance reports.

That means any clicks and impressions from Google’s AI-powered search experiences including AI Overviews and interactive follow-ups are now bundled into your existing data.

Here’s what’s changed, how it works, and what publishers should do next.

What Is AI Mode?

Google’s AI Mode is part of its generative search rollout. It builds on AI Overviews by giving users more detailed, multi-step answers breaking queries into parts and searching across them in parallel (a process called “query fan out”).

This mode creates new, more dynamic paths for users to land on your site but those clicks might not look the same as traditional search results.

What’s New in Search Console?

As per Google’s updated changelog:

Data from AI Mode is now counting towards the totals in the Search Console Performance report. That means AI-generated search interactions are now tracked in your performance metrics without being broken out separately.

Here’s how it works:

Clicks: If a user clicks a link to your site from AI Mode, it’s tracked as a normal click.
Impressions: If your link appears or can be seen, it’s logged as an impression using the same visibility rules as regular search.
Position: Rankings are calculated the same way as carousels or standard blue links.

If a user asks a follow-up question, Google treats it as a brand-new query and all engagement with that answer is tracked accordingly.

You Won’t See AI Mode Separately

Here’s the key detail: AI traffic isn’t segmented out. It’s included in the “Web” search type inside your Performance report, alongside traditional search queries.

This means:

You won’t see a separate “AI Mode” filter.
Spikes or shifts in metrics might reflect changes in how users interact with AI results not your regular rankings.

So… Will This Traffic Be Better?

Google says traffic from AI Mode tends to be “higher quality” users who click through are more informed and more likely to stay on the page.

That might be true, but there’s no way to confirm it right now. Without a separate report type, you can’t isolate AI Mode traffic or its impact on bounce rate, session duration, or conversions.

What Should Publishers Do?

The good news: You don’t need to do anything technical to be included in AI Mode.

No special markup.
No new schema.
No “AI files.”

Google says existing SEO best practices still apply especially:

Clear, structured content that answers the query directly
Snippet-friendly formatting (lists, subheadings, bolded answers)
Fast load times and good UX

You can still control how content appears in AI snippets using standard settings like nosnippet, max-snippet, or noindex.

Pro Tip: Watch Your Metrics Differently

Now that AI Mode is blended into your Search Console totals, here’s how to adapt:

Look for unusual shifts in click-through rate (CTR) or impressions that don’t match your rankings.
Track branded vs. informational queries AI Mode is more likely to surface your site for longer-form, question-based queries.
Use third-party analytics to cross-reference session time and bounce rate especially for content likely to appear in AI Overviews.

This change is subtle, but significant. It signals that Google’s AI integrations are no longer experimental they’re becoming part of the “normal” search pipeline.

Publishers should:

Monitor metrics with this in mind
Keep optimizing for clarity and depth
Be ready for more blended traffic sources going forward

As AI-powered search continues to evolve, understanding where your clicks come from and how users land there is becoming just as important as ranking itself.

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