Google Search Console AI Report Still Lacks Click Data, Google Says Nothing to Announce
Nicole Wang · Customer Development Manager
Google still is not giving site owners click data for AI Overviews and AI Mode, and has no timeline to share. Search Engine Roundtable reported on November 2, 2026 that Google’s Gary Illyes said the team is “super interested in giving more data, data that makes sense,” but “we don’t have anything to announce yet.” Meanwhile, an independent test offers a rough look at AI click-through.
What happened
The report as it stands. Google began rolling out an AI performance report in Search Console in June 2026, with impression data starting May 18, 2026, per Search Engine Roundtable’s coverage and Google’s help documentation. It shows impressions for URLs that appear in generative AI features in Search and Discover, plus pages, countries, devices and dates. It does not show clicks or queries. Google said it “will introduce additional metrics over time.”
The Illyes comment. A LinkedIn post quoted an unattributed Googler at a Search Central event saying “The clicks and queries data is the most requested data set by website owners and SEOs.” Illyes replied, “I don’t think we’ve phrased it like this,” and that Google has nothing to announce. Barry Schwartz read this as a sign click data may not be coming. John Mueller called that “a weird way of reading the comment” on Bluesky. The fair summary: no commitment either way.
The opt-out test (reported October 30, 2026). Cyrus Shepard used Google’s generative AI opt-out control to remove one site from AI Overviews and AI Mode, then compared periods in and out, as reported by Search Engine Roundtable. Findings from his small case study:
- AI impressions were about 8% of the site’s total impressions.
- Estimated CTR on AI impressions was roughly 0.9%, calculated by subtraction, not measured directly.
- “Most surprisingly, regular organic clicks ALSO DROPPED when AI features were disabled.”
Shepard suggested a “Search SERP Halo Effect,” where appearing in more places on the page raises the odds of any click. It is one site, with an estimated CTR, so treat it as a hypothesis worth testing, not a benchmark.
Why it matters for B2B marketers
B2B SEO teams are being asked to prove the value of AI visibility with incomplete data. The current state:
| Question | Can Search Console answer it? |
|---|---|
| Did my page appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode? | Yes, impressions by page |
| Which queries triggered that AI appearance? | No |
| How many clicks did AI features send? | No |
| Am I cited more or less than competitors? | No |
Shepard’s result also cautions against opting out to “protect” organic clicks: in his test, organic clicks fell too. With AI Overviews now on most Google searches according to third-party data, giving up AI visibility is a real cost.
What to do now
- Export AI impressions monthly. Pull the AI performance report by page and keep your own history; trend lines are useful even without clicks.
- Join impressions to outcomes. Match pages with rising AI impressions against GA4 sessions, assisted conversions and branded search growth for the same period.
- Run your own controlled tests carefully. If you test changes, do it on a small page set with clear before and after windows, and avoid site-wide opt-outs.
- Track citations outside Google. Search Console covers Google only. Monitor ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Copilot separately. Our guide to GEO metrics and KPIs lists what to measure.
- Optimize the pages that already earn AI impressions. They are your best candidates for citation gains. See the Google AI Overviews optimization guide.
Sources
- Search Engine Roundtable, Gary Illyes on click data in Search Console AI reporting (Nov 2, 2026): https://www.seroundtable.com/click-data-search-console-ai-reporting-42437.html
- Search Engine Roundtable, AI performance report and blocking controls (Jun 3, 2026): https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ai-performance-report-blocking-controls-41443.html
- Google Search Console Help, AI performance report: https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/16984139
- Search Engine Roundtable, AI Overviews and AI Mode CTR opt-out study (Oct 30, 2026): https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ai-overviews-mode-ctr-42421.html
- Cyrus Shepard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cyrusshepard_case-study-what-happens-when-you-opt-your-share-7521340039763505152-gKbY/
Frequently asked questions
Does Google Search Console show clicks from AI Overviews?
No. The AI performance report, rolled out from June 2026, shows impressions, pages, countries, devices and dates, but not clicks or queries.
What CTR do AI Overviews deliver?
There is no official figure. One small single-site test by Cyrus Shepard estimated about 0.9% CTR for AI impressions, which should be treated as directional only.
