Search Console’s Generative AI report and AI setting: what Google says, and a 5-step checklist

What the Generative AI performance report shows

Google’s help page for the Generative AI performance report says: “As of August 31, 2026, we’ve rolled out these insights to all websites worldwide” (Search Console Help: Generative AI performance report).

It “shows data about how your site performs in generative AI features on Google Search.” You can use it to see how organic impressions from Search generative AI features change over time, which pages get the highest or lowest impressions, and where those impressions come from (for example by device or country).

The report includes impressions for AI Overviews and AI Mode. Google says it expects to update that list over time. Impressions are “how many times links to your site were shown to a user in a generative AI feature on Google Search.” Data from Search Labs experiments is not included.

If you don’t see the report, Google says that usually means your site hasn’t received enough impressions in generative AI features, or that you’ve excluded your site from Search generative AI features.

What the Search generative AI control does

Google’s help page for the Search generative AI control says: “As of August 31, 2026, we’ve rolled out this control to all websites worldwide” (Search Console Help: Search generative AI control).

You manage it under Settings → Search generative AI. It covers AI Overviews, AI Mode, and generative AI features in Google Discover. The choices are:

• Include (the default for all properties): your site’s content can appear in Search generative AI features, including as links and to help ground AI responses. Your site can receive impressions and traffic from these features.
• Exclude: your site’s content is prevented from being visible in those features, including being linked and helping ground AI responses. You won’t receive traffic or impressions from them.
• Inherit from parent: the default when your property has a parent; you can override it.

Google says excluding a site takes about 1–2 days to apply, though some content may take longer because of caching. The control only affects whether your content can appear in certain Search generative AI features; it is not the same as blocking model training (Google points to Google-Extended for that) or removing your site from Google Search entirely (use noindex for that).

5-step checklist for site owners

1. Open Search Console and look for the Generative AI performance report. If it’s missing, check whether you have enough impressions or whether the site is excluded (report help).
2. Open Settings → Search generative AI and confirm the control is set to Include, unless you have a deliberate reason to exclude (control help).
3. Note which pages get the most and least generative AI impressions, and by country or device if that filter is available.
4. Make sure those pages state your name, services, city, prices or how pricing works, and how to book or enquire, in plain text.
5. Check that robots.txt doesn’t block the crawlers you want, and that key pages can be indexed.

Want us to run related checks on your website? Request the free mini-audit (₹0): we email you 5 findings about your own site. We don’t guarantee impressions, rankings or mentions in any Google feature.

Questions

Sources

• Search Console Help: Generative AI performance report (fetched 28 Oct 2026)
• Search Console Help: Search generative AI control (fetched 28 Oct 2026)

Rules and documentation change. This guide is general information, not legal advice. We don’t guarantee rankings, traffic or mentions by any AI assistant.

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