Google added a multimodal filter to Search Console on 24 September 2026, so site owners can see which of their pages appear when people search with a photo through Lens, Circle to Search, an image upload or Chrome’s Search this image option. For product and retail brands, camera-led discovery becomes a channel you can measure by page.

Google started counting searches that begin with a photo

Google announced the reporting on its Search Central blog, with the rollout starting globally the same day. In the performance report the Web search type now splits into “Text-based” and “Multimodal”, and the same filter appears in the report for generative AI features, which Google launched in June and extended to every site worldwide by 31 August. That report covers AI Overviews, AI Mode and generative AI features in Discover.

The new data covers four entry points, which are Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads to Google Search and the right-click Search this image option in Chrome. The filter gives you pages, countries, devices and dates to export, but no queries, because Google says these searches mostly use images rather than text.

The data is new as well as newly visible. When an SEO asked whether multimodal impressions had been grouped under Web all along, Google’s John Mueller checked with the Search Console team and replied that “the data wasn’t previously in the counts, the report has new data”, as Search Engine Roundtable reported.

Someone points a phone at a pair of trainers on a stranger’s feet, a bottle on a shelf, or a jacket in a shop window, and Google decides which page answers. Before 24 September a brand had no direct way to see whether that page was its own product page, a retailer’s listing or a review site. The new filter answers that question at page level for every site that gets this traffic.

Physical products with a recognisable look gain the most, meaning fashion, footwear, cycling and outdoor kit, beauty, drinks and homeware. Premium brands whose products get photographed in the wild should look first, which is the audience we wrote the SEO playbook for premium endurance brands for. B2B services and software will see little here.

Our view at Manual Focus is that the multimodal filter matters more for what it shows about where Google sends camera traffic than for its volume, and a brand that finds its product photos sending shoppers to a reseller’s page has a merchandising problem it can now put a number on. We’d also treat it as another sign that visibility in Google is splitting into streams that need separate reporting, as AI citations already have, which we covered in The citation moved off the page.

Five checks for the next SEO report

  1. Rebase your comparisons. Apply the text-based filter whenever you compare September and October with earlier months, so the new multimodal counts don’t read as a ranking gain.
  2. Export the multimodal pages. Pull the page list for the last 28 days and sort by impressions, then note which are product pages, which are category pages and which are articles or image-heavy guides.
  3. Look for the wrong landing page. If Lens sends people to a blog image or an old product rather than the current product page, fix the image and page pairing on your own site first, and then ask retail partners how their listings show up.
  4. Split it by country and device. Circle to Search runs on Android, so a mobile-heavy market with high multimodal impressions tells you where camera search is already a habit for your customers.
  5. Check the generative AI view too. Apply the multimodal filter in the generative AI features report and see whether AI Overviews or AI Mode show your pages for image searches. Record what you find so you have a baseline to measure against.

Gaps in the new data

Without query data you can see which page appeared but not what the person photographed, so you infer intent from the page itself. The generative AI report still shows impressions without clicks, which leaves you unable to tell whether an AI answer for an image search sent anyone to your site. Google says the metrics appear only if your site receives this traffic, and a staged global rollout means some properties may see the filter days after others. Google hasn’t said how multimodal searches that turn into text follow-up questions are counted, or whether it will add query-style descriptions later.

If you want help reading what the new data says about your own site, that’s the work we do.

Frequently asked questions

What is the multimodal search type in Google Search Console?

It is a filter Google added to the Search Console performance reports on 24 September 2026. It shows impressions and pages for searches where someone used an image, covering Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads to Google Search and the Chrome right-click Search this image option. Google splits the Web search type into text-based and multimodal.

Can I see Google Lens queries in Search Console?

No. Google says multimodal searches mostly use images rather than text, so the queries dimension isn't available when you select the multimodal search type. You can see which of your pages appeared, plus countries, devices and dates. Google's John Mueller confirmed on Bluesky that site owners can't see the photo the person searched with.

Why did my Google Search Console impressions change in September 2026?

One possible reason is the new multimodal data Google began rolling out on 24 September 2026. Google's John Mueller said this Lens and Circle to Search data wasn't previously in the Search Console counts, so compare periods with the text-based filter applied before you read a change in impressions as a change in rankings.

Does the Search Console generative AI report include Google Lens?

Yes. Google added the multimodal filter to the Search Console report for generative AI features as well as the main search results report. That report covers AI Overviews, AI Mode and generative AI features in Discover, and shows impressions, pages, countries, devices and dates. Search Engine Roundtable noted it still has no click or query data.

Sources