Generative AI features report

What it is

It refers to performance data covering impressions, clicks and related metrics earned when a page is surfaced or cited within generative search features. Google has stated that activity from AI experiences is counted in Search Console's Performance report alongside other Search results, which means it contributes to your totals without being clearly isolated. Because the reporting is aggregated, most teams combine platform data with their own analytics and log analysis to build a fuller picture.

Why it matters

Generative answers change how often a listing is seen and how often a visible listing is clicked, so totals can move for reasons that have nothing to do with ranking position. Without some form of generative AI features reporting, teams misread falling click-through rates as a content or technical problem when the underlying cause is a changed result layout. It also matters commercially, because being cited in an AI answer can drive brand awareness and assisted conversions that never show up as a single clean referral.

How it works

Practitioners start with Search Console Performance data, then segment by query type, page group and device to find clusters where impressions hold steady while clicks fall, which is a common signature of answer-style results. They pair this with server log files and analytics referral data to spot visits and crawls linked to AI assistants, and with manual or automated checks of whether target queries trigger generative features at all. Some teams export the data weekly into a spreadsheet or BI tool so they can track shifts over time rather than relying on the default reporting windows.

When it applies

It applies whenever a meaningful share of your target queries trigger AI-generated answers, which is most common for informational, comparison and how-to intent. It is also relevant during any period of visible search interface change, when you need to explain traffic movement to stakeholders.

Examples

• A SaaS content team notices impressions flat and clicks down 18 percent quarter on quarter for a set of how-to queries, and confirms with manual checks that most of those queries now return an AI-generated answer
• An ecommerce retailer builds a weekly dashboard combining Search Console exports with GA4 referral data so it can separate classic organic clicks from visits arriving via AI assistants
• An agency segments a client's Search Console pages into informational and transactional groups, and reports on each separately because only the informational group is affected by generative results

How it is measured

• Clicks and impressions by page group and query cluster, tracked over time rather than as single-period snapshots
• Click-through rate change for queries known to trigger generative features, compared against a control set that does not
• Referral sessions and assisted conversions from AI assistants and chat interfaces in your analytics platform
• Citation or mention rate: the share of a tracked query set where your domain appears in the generated answer, checked on a fixed schedule