Google introduces AI performance reports in Search Console

Google AI and Search Console: what changes in performance reports

The news that Google is adding AI experience data to Google Search Console performance reports is not just a technical update for SEO teams. It's an indication that search is moving to a new stage where a brand's visibility is not only measured by the classic “rankings, clicks, sales” logic, but also by how it appears within AI-generated responses, AI Mode experiences and AI Overviews. For an e-commerce owner, this has direct business relevance: whether your product, category or buying guide appears in a Google AI result can impact awareness, demand, assisted conversion and trust, even when the final click doesn't always come in the same predictable way as before. See also: Digital Marketing & SEO, business automation & AI, website construction, e-shop construction.

According to Semrush's analysis, the new AI Performance Reports involve integrating data from AI Mode within the Search Console performance report. Google has already clarified that clicks, impressions, CTR and average position from such experiences can be recorded in Search Console, but the critical point for practitioners is that the available insight is not always separate and fully isolated by AI feature. Simply put, we are not yet entering an era where an eshop owner opens a dashboard and clearly sees “this many sales came from AI Mode, this many clicks from AI Overviews, this many impressions from traditional results”. But we are entering a phase where Google AI is becoming part of basic SEO reporting, so the way you evaluate organic search needs to be adjusted.

The important thing for e-commerce brands is not to treat the change as just another “SEO news” that only affects specialists. When the way information is displayed on Google changes, the user's path to purchase changes. A user can compare products through AI Overviews, get a summary of pros and cons, see references in buying guides or reviews and then return to the brand through branded search, paid search, direct traffic or marketplace. If reporting gets bogged down in the last click, management may underestimate the true value of SEO.

Why AI Performance Reports matter for e-commerce businesses

From organic clicks to visibility within AI responses

The biggest change that Google AI brings is not just the appearance of new reports, but the shift in value from simple traffic to reliable presence at decision points. In traditional SEO, the goal was relatively clear: better positions for keywords with commercial intent, more organic clicks, higher conversion rate. In the new environment, AI answers can condense information from multiple sources, drive the user to a faster understanding, and move the click to the next stage of the funnel. This doesn't mean that clicks lose their value. It means that impressions, brand recall, topic authority and content quality are becoming more critical than ever.

The rise of AI Overviews shows why e-commerce businesses need to keep a close eye on change. According to Semrush's analysis of the emergence of AI Overviews in searches, the percentage of queries that triggered AI Overviews increased from 6,49% in January 2025 to 13,14% in March 2025. This increase should not be read as a simple interface change. For categories such as technology, healthcare, finance, B2B solutions, beauty, home improvement and products with a high need for comparison, AI answers can act as a “first mover”. As shown in the graph below, the trend is strongly upward in a short period of time.

For an eshop, the practical implication is that e-commerce SEO should not be limited to product pages. Category pages, buying guides, comparison articles, FAQs, how-to content and structured data are now of even greater strategic importance. When Google AI is trying to answer complex questions like “which mattress is best for back pain”, “which running shoes are suitable for beginners” or “what laptop to buy for professional use”, you need clean, reliable and well-structured content. If your brand doesn't have such content, it leaves room for competitors, publishers, affiliates and marketplaces to influence the decision before the user even gets to your product.

How to read the new data without drawing the wrong conclusions

The Search Console performance report is still a key tool, but it needs a more mature interpretation. Clicks show direct traffic, impressions show visibility, click-through rate shows how attractive or relevant your presence is in relation to impressions, and average position helps to understand your position in the search result. In the Google AI environment, however, these metrics can be affected by experiences where the user is given more information before deciding to click. So, a lower CTR is not always a failure, especially if it is accompanied by an increase in branded searches, direct traffic or assisted conversions. Similarly, high impressions on informational queries can mean that the brand is starting to engage in the research stage before the user even expresses purchase intent.

The importance of the position remains great. Backlinko's study of organic CTR showed that the first result on Google has an average CTR of 27.6%, the second 15.8%, the third 11.0%, the fourth 8.4% and the fifth 6.3%. While AI results can change the way clicks are distributed, the basic principle remains: the more visible and reliable a result is, the more likely it is to gain attention. The chart below helps illustrate the difference from position to position and why SEO reporting should link average position to real business impact.

The second point that needs attention is zero-click searches. Google AI adds to the debate around how many searches result in no-clicks to the open web, but the phenomenon existed before the massive emergence of AI answers. According to SparkToro and Datos analysis, out of every 1,000 Google searches, about 360 in the US and 374 in Europe result in a click to the open web. For an e-commerce owner, this means that organic strategy shouldn't be evaluated by sessions alone. It should also be evaluated by whether the business shows up in critical searches, builds trust and influences demand that later shows up in other channels.

Step-by-Step guide: how to customize your SEO reporting

The first step is to define what you want to learn from the new data. Don't just open Google Search Console to see if “clicks went up or down”. Create a reporting framework with four levels: visibility, engagement, commercial intent and revenue impact. In visibility, track impressions, average position and queries in which the brand appears. In engagement you look at CTR, landing pages and traffic quality. In commercial intent you separate informational queries from category, product and branded queries. In revenue impact you link the data to GA4, conversion tracking, revenue, add-to-cart, lead forms or assisted conversions. This structure helps to avoid getting lost in impressive numbers that don't necessarily lead to decisions.

The second step is to create segments in Search Console. Separate out queries that contain words like “best”, “comparison”, “what to buy”, “reviews”, “price”, “offer”, “near me”, as well as branded searches. These segments reveal different stages of the buying journey. AI Mode and AI Overviews are likely to have more impact on complex queries and informational-commercial queries, i.e. searches where the user is not yet ready to buy but is building a shortlist. If you gain visibility there, you can influence future sales even if the direct click is lower.

The third step is to map each major query cluster to specific landing pages. For example, searches for “best walking shoes” should not just lead to a general category of products. You need content that explains selection criteria, materials, fit, level of support, reviews, availability, and FAQs. Google AI prefers information that clearly answers the user's intent. Therefore, content strategy should combine commercial content and advisory value without becoming superficial or overly promotional.

The fourth step is to connect Search Console and GA4. Search Console shows what happened before the click, while GA4 shows what happened after. If a group of queries has increased impressions but low CTR, don't delete it as inefficient. Check if branded searches, direct sessions, returning users or conversions from other channels increased during the same period. In more expensive markets, especially for high-value products, the journey may involve multiple touchpoints. Proper conversion tracking should view SEO not just as a last-click channel, but as a demand generation mechanism.

The fifth step is to create a monthly executive report that speaks the language of management. Instead of just reporting “+12% impressions” or “-8% CTR”, explain which product category gained visibility, which content was entered in comparison queries, which pages need improvement and what the potential impact is on revenue. For e-commerce teams, a practical report should result in decisions: which pages to refresh, which FAQs to add, which structured data to check, which products need better descriptions and which category pages need content blocks with real utility.

Content that has a chance of winning in a Google AI environment

The basic principle is that Google AI doesn't need more “SEO text”. It needs better answers. That means your pages need to demonstrate experience, expertise, authority and credibility. For an eshop, this can translate into practical elements: detailed selection guides, real photos, technical specifications with explanations, comparison charts, return policies, availability information, customer reviews, author or reviewer credentials where appropriate, and clear answers to pre-purchase questions. If you sell products that require trust, such as supplements, children's items, safety equipment or technology products, quality information is part of your marketing credibility.

In terms of keyword research, the focus should not only be on search volume. You need intent mapping. A short-tail keyword may bring in volume, but long-tail queries reveal what is really preventing the user from buying. Keywords like “what's the difference”, “worth”, “for beginners”, “for professional use”, “with warranty”, “what to look out for” are valuable because they show decision criteria. There the brand can appear as a useful advisor, not just a salesperson. This is especially important if AI Performance Reports show an increase in impressions on queries that don't convert immediately, but open the door to future demand.

Also, don't underestimate structured data. Product schema, Review schema, FAQ where appropriate, BreadcrumbList, Organization and Merchant-related markup help search engines understand the page better. They are not a guarantee of showing up in AI Overviews or rich results, but they reduce ambiguity. In an environment where Google synthesizes information, a clean data structure is an advantage. At the same time, pages need to be technically sound: fast loading, mobile-first experience, proper canonicalization, clean category pages, avoiding thin content and solid internal linking.

What an e-commerce brand should do now

The practical priority is to move from passive monitoring to active use of data. Start with an audit of the top queries in Google Search Console and identify where there are a lot of impressions but low CTR. Check if your snippet is weak, if the title doesn't answer the intent, if the page doesn't have enough information or if the user receives a response directly in the result. Then, compare the pages that have high impressions with the revenue in GA4. If a page with commercial value is gaining visibility but not driving sales, it may need better UX, a cleaner CTA, improved filters, richer content or a stronger value proposition.

For TWO DOTS, the right approach to such changes is to treat SEO as a development system and not as a list of technical actions. Google AI changes reporting, but it doesn't change the core of success: useful content, a credible technical base, a clear marketing proposition and ongoing measurement. The difference is that now there needs to be more connection between SEO, content, analytics, UX and commercial strategy. Brands that invest early in this level of maturity will have an advantage because they will be able to read new brands correctly before the competition figures out why organic search performance has changed.

The bottom line is simple: AI Performance Reports are not just a new line in Search Console. They're a warning that SEO measurement needs to become more business-like. Google AI will continue to influence the way users search, compare and decide. If your e-commerce brand only measures clicks, it will see a smaller part of the picture. But if it combines impressions, CTR, average position, query intent, GA4 behavior and revenue impact, then it can turn change into a competitive advantage.

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