Understanding Google's New AI Performance Reports: What Local Business Owners Should Know
Google has rolled out AI performance reports in Search Console worldwide, offering insights into how your site appears in AI-powered search features. Here's what local business owners need to understand and do.
Google's new AI performance reports in Search Console provide data on how your website's pages appear in AI-driven search features like AI Overviews and AI Mode. These reports show impressions by page, country, date, and device but do not currently include click data. Additionally, there is an opt-out control allowing site owners to exclude their content from these AI features without affecting standard search rankings. For local business owners, this means you can now monitor your AI visibility and decide whether to participate in AI search features, but you should first ensure your site is c
Why this matters now.
Google completed the worldwide rollout of these AI performance reports as of August 31, 2026, making this the first time all site owners can access this data. With AI search features becoming more prominent, understanding your site's AI visibility is timely and important for local businesses competing for attention.
What this could change for an owner.
For local business owners, these reports offer a new way to see how your website is represented in AI-powered search results, which can influence customer discovery. However, since click data is not yet available, the reports are best used as a diagnostic tool alongside traditional SEO metrics.
What Are Google's AI Performance Reports?
These reports in Google Search Console track impressions your website receives from AI-powered search features such as AI Overviews and AI Mode. They break down data by page, country, date, and device type, helping you understand where and how often your content appears in AI-generated search results. However, they do not currently show how many clicks these impressions generate.
The Opt-Out Control and Its Implications
Google provides a property-level opt-out setting within Search Console that lets you exclude your site from AI search features. Choosing to opt out means your site won't receive impressions or traffic from these AI features, but it will not affect your site's ranking in standard search results. This control is important for businesses concerned about how their content is used or displayed in AI contexts.
How Local Businesses Can Use This Information
First, verify that your website's pages are accessible to Google's crawlers and properly indexed, as these are prerequisites for appearing in AI features. Then, monitor the AI performance reports to see which pages are showing up in AI-driven search results. While click data is not yet available, these insights can guide you in optimizing content for AI visibility and deciding whether to opt in or out of AI search features.
What to measure or change next.
Check your Google Search Console to see if AI performance reports are available for your site.
Verify crawlability and index coverage of your website to ensure pages can appear in AI search features.
Use the reports to identify which pages are appearing in AI Overviews and AI Mode impressions.
Consider the opt-out control if you prefer not to have your content included in AI search features, knowing it won't affect standard search rankings.
What this analysis does not prove.
- The AI performance reports currently do not include click-through data, limiting insight into user engagement.
- Access to reports may not be immediate for all properties despite the worldwide rollout.
- The opt-out control applies at the property level, not at the page level, which may limit granular control over AI feature inclusion.
Primary source: Search Engine Journal: Google Search Console AI Reports Rolled Out Worldwide ↗
Frontier Rank’s interpretation: Frontier Rank's read: verify crawl access and index coverage first, then measure whether the same pages appear for locked customer questions.
See how your business appears.
Start with a useful result, then decide whether the gap deserves a closer look.