Google Search Console now shows traffic from Lens and Circle to Search
Google has added a multimodal filter to Search Console. It shows traffic that started from Google Lens, Circle to Search, image uploads and the "Search this image" option in Chrome. The rollout began globally on 24 September 2026.
The filter applies to the standard Search results report and to the generative AI reports that cover AI Overviews and AI Mode.
Why it matters
Until now, visual searches were mixed in with typed queries. Marketers could not tell whether a product page earned its clicks from a photo someone took in a shop or from a keyword.
With the filter, you can see which pages people reach from images. That matters most for retail, travel, food and home brands, where people often search with a camera before they search with words.
What to do this week
- Open the Performance report in Search Console and apply the multimodal filter.
- List the 20 pages with the most visual search clicks.
- Check that each one has clear product images, descriptive alt text and structured data.
- Compare the same pages in the AI Overviews and AI Mode report to see if AI answers send people there too.
Visual search and AI answers now feed the same reports. Track both together, not as separate channels.