Google hints that click data may not come to Search Console's AI report

Google's Gary Illyes has implied that click and query data may not arrive in the AI performance report in Search Console. Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable reported the exchange on 2 November 2026.

The discussion started on LinkedIn. A post quoted a Googler at a Google Search Central live event who said click and query data is "the most requested data set by website owners and SEOs". The same quote said Google is anticipating the data in Search Console, but that "even we don't know by when this data will be added."

Illyes then replied. He wrote that the Search Console team wants to bring "data that makes sense" to the report. According to the article, he did not say clicks or queries count as that data. He also wrote "I don't think we've phrased it like this" and "we don't have anything to announce yet."

John Mueller of Google pushed back on Bluesky. He called reading the comment as a no to click data a "weird way of reading the comment." Schwartz notes that Mueller also sounded doubtful. Schwartz himself says he doubts click data is coming.

Nothing is confirmed either way. Google has not announced a date or a plan.

Why it matters

The AI performance report is one of the few first-party views of how your site shows up in Google's AI features. Without clicks and queries, you can see that you appear but not what visitors do next or which questions triggered it. That makes it hard to put a value on AI search traffic or to compare it with classic organic search.

It also means you should not wait for Google to close the gap. If the report stays impressions-style only, you need other ways to measure AI visibility and the traffic it sends.

What to do this week

• Use the report as it is. Note which pages appear, and save a snapshot each month so you can track trends yourself.
• Tag AI referrals in analytics. Set up segments for visits from AI assistants and check them against your Search Console data. Some AI traffic arrives with no referrer, so treat the numbers as a floor.
• Track outside Google. Check how often ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and others name your brand for the questions your buyers ask. A tool like Aiso can run those checks for you.
• Do not plan around a promise. Build your reporting on what you can measure today, and treat any future click data as a bonus.
• Watch for an announcement. Google says it has nothing to share yet. When it does, the Search Console team will likely say so on its usual channels.

The story is a reminder that AI search reporting is still immature. Measure what you can, and be clear in reports about what you cannot.