Does Search Console Show AI Overview Traffic?

Partly. Clicks and impressions from Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode are counted in Search Console's Performance report. The catch is they're blended into your normal Web search totals. There's no filter or tab that separates AI Overview traffic from regular search results, so you have to work it out indirectly.

This is the bit that confuses most people so it's worth slowing down.

When an AI Overview shows at the top of a results page and your site is linked inside it, Google counts that as an impression for your page. It counts it even if the person never scrolls or expands the Overview, as long as your link would have been visible.

Position works differently to what you'd expect. According to Google's documentation all the links inside an AI Overview share the position of the Overview itself. If the Overview sits at the top of the page then every linked site gets roughly position 1, even if your link is the eighth source in the box.

That's why some sites have seen their average position improve while their traffic hasn't moved much.

A click on your link inside the Overview counts as a click, the same as clicking a normal result. AI Mode follows similar rules and its data is also counted in the Web search type.

Here are the common symptoms we see in Aussie small business accounts and what's usually going on.

"My impressions are up but my clicks are flat or down"

This is the most common one. Yes, you're showing up more. But people are getting their answer from the AI Overview and not clicking. Your site might be one of several links in the Overview so you're getting the impression without the click.

It's not necessarily bad news. Being cited in an AI Overview builds familiarity with your brand. But it does mean you can't judge success by clicks alone anymore.

"My CTR has dropped and I haven't changed anything"

Same cause. CTR is clicks divided by impressions. When impressions rise from AI Overview appearances and clicks don't rise with them, CTR falls. Look at it per query rather than sitewide. If CTR has dropped mostly on question-style queries, AI Overviews are the likely reason.

"My average position went up but traffic didn't"

Remember that links inside an AI Overview share the Overview's position. If you're now cited in Overviews that sit at the top of the page your average position can jump to near 1 without sending many more visitors. Treat average position with caution for informational queries.

"Traffic dropped on my blog posts but not my service pages"

AI Overviews show up far more on "how", "what" and "why" questions than on "plumber near me" type searches. Information content usually feels the impact first. Service and location pages are often less affected.

You can't get a perfect AI Overview report but you can get a useful one.

1. Split out question-style queries with regex. In the Performance report click + Add filter > Query > Custom (regex) and use something like this:

^(how|what|why|when|where|who|which|can|does|do|is|are|should)\b

This shows queries that start with a question word. These are the ones most likely to trigger an AI Overview. Compare their clicks, impressions and CTR over time against everything else.

2. Build a list of queries you know trigger AI Overviews. Search your top 20 to 30 queries in Google yourself and note which ones show an Overview and whether you're cited. Then compare that group's trend in Search Console against queries that don't show Overviews. Check from a private window and from your target city where you can.

3. Use a third-party AI Overview tracker. Several SEO tools now track which keywords trigger AI Overviews and whether your site is cited. They're not perfect but they fill the biggest gap Search Console leaves.

4. Watch branded search. If people see your name in AI Overviews and search for you later, branded queries should grow. Filter Search Console for queries containing your business name and track the trend monthly.

5. Pair it with GA4. Search Console tells you about Google. For ChatGPT, Perplexity and the rest you need GA4. See How do I track traffic from ChatGPT in Google Analytics?

AI Overviews have been live in Australia since late 2024 and they've expanded steadily since. AI Mode arrived later. Google keeps changing how often Overviews appear and which types of searches trigger them. These changes can hit Aussie results at a different time to the US.

That means two things for you. First, if you see a sudden shift in impressions or CTR, check whether Google has announced an AI feature change around that date before you blame your website. Second, don't assume a US report about AI Overview traffic applies here. Look at your own data.

Clicks alone don't tell the full story anymore. A better mix is impressions on question-style queries, branded search growth and conversions from organic traffic in GA4. We go deeper on this in What KPIs should I track for AI search?

Can I filter AI Overview traffic in Google Search Console? No. AI Overview clicks and impressions are included in the Web search totals but there's no separate filter. You can approximate it by filtering question-style queries with regex or tracking which queries trigger Overviews.

Does AI Mode traffic show in Search Console? Yes. Google includes AI Mode clicks and impressions in the Web search data in the Performance report. Like AI Overviews it isn't separated out.

Why has my CTR dropped in Search Console? A common reason is AI Overviews. Your pages get impressions from appearing in the Overview but people often get their answer without clicking, so CTR falls even when visibility rises.

What position does an AI Overview link get in Search Console? Links inside an AI Overview share the position of the Overview itself. If the Overview is at the top, every cited link is counted near position 1 regardless of its order in the box.

Proficlix's AI visibility audit looks at your Search Console data alongside how AI tools talk about your business, so you can see what's really changing. Book a chat with us about your business.