Google has quietly updated its documentation – now clicks, impressions, and positions from AI Mode are included directly in the Performance reports in Search Console
What is AI Mode and why does it matter?
AI Mode is Google’s new chatbot-like search feature that, for example, has recently been available in the USA. It breaks down complex questions, performs parallel searches, and presents answers with links – all interactively. Previously, traffic from these AI sessions was not captured in GSC, but now it is counted exactly as regular search results under the “Web” type.
How are clicks and positions counted?
- Clicks are counted when the user clicks on an external link in AI mode.
- Impressions are counted when the link is visible to the user, according to standard rules.
- Position calculation follows regular SERP rules – each link gets its own position also in image/carousel blocks.
Follow-up questions are counted as new searches with new impressions, clicks and position data
No special schema is needed to be visible
The SEO strategy does not change – no new machine-readable files, AI markup or schema.org is required. Existing controls like nosnippet, noindex, max-snippet and data-nosnippet still control how you want to appear in AI searches.
What are the consequences?
The fact that AI traffic is now counted in total numbers means many site managers see changes in their reports. But since AI traffic is mixed with regular traffic, it is not possible to separate it out.
An expert, Glenn Gabe, comments:
What comes next?
Many hope for specific filters for AI Mode in GSC, but so far there are none. Maybe we will get separate tabs for AI traffic in the future – but for now, it’s about carefully analyzing Web traffic and combining it with tools like Analytics.
Sources
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-console-counting-ai-mode-39599.html
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-adds-ai-mode-traffic-to-search-console-reports/549089
