GSC AI Overview Reporting: Key Insights and How to Use Them

Google has finally opened the curtain on how your content performs inside AI Overviews, AI Mode, and the AI-powered features in Discover through new reporting in Google Search Console. For years, SEO professionals have been guessing whether their content actually appears in these generative experiences. Now, the data comes straight from the source.

You can follow along with a walkthrough in the video linked above, or read on for a clear breakdown of where to find this information and how to use it strategically.

What the New Generative AI Report Looks Like

If you are among the early testers,currently rolling out primarily in the UK, with a broader release expected,you will see a new section under Performance labeled “Generative AI.” This dedicated view shows impressions generated within these features. Some have noted the absence of click data, rankings, or CTR, but the report still delivers a wealth of actionable insight.

You can filter the data by:

• PagesEven without clicks, knowing which pages Google’s AI models deem most relevant for grounding responses is a powerful signal. It tells you exactly what the system considers authoritative and useful for your audience.Why Google Is Finally Sharing This DataThis transparency isn’t purely altruistic. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK has been pushing for better attribution and clearer links in AI-generated results. Publishers now have a toggle within GSC to prevent their content from being used to power AI features, and Google must ensure proper attribution using visible links. This explains the recent rise of “preferred sources” and inline citations.The New Opt-Out Toggle in Search ConsoleGoogle has introduced a straightforward toggle where website owners can decide whether their site helps ground responses in generative AI features. This is similar to the Google-extended directive in your robots.txt file but far more accessible.You might ask: why would anyone opt out? Some may do it on principle if they oppose AI use. Others might consider it if the AI consistently misrepresents their brand. In those cases, however, the fix is usually to improve how your business is presented on your own site and across the web.For most of us, opting out of AI Overviews is effectively opting out of Search. The smarter move is to stay in and use this data to identify where you can improve.What to Do With This DataOnce you have access, you can use a tool like Google’s Antigravity to analyze which pages appear most often in AI search features. You don’t need a custom tool. A manual review works fine. Even if this data isn’t available through the GSC API, Antigravity’s browser can help you click through the report and brainstorm why certain pages are surfaced so frequently.Because the Generative AI report lacks click data, cross-reference these pages with your standard performance data. If a page has high impressions in AI Overviews and also receives a high volume of clicks in regular search, you can start to correlate that value.Here is a prompt you can use once you have your list of pages:“What does this page have that the AI Overview doesn’t? Why are people clicking through? Give me some ideas on what it is about this page that is likely to make it helpful to searchers beyond the AI answer.”The answer is often that the page demonstrates first-hand experience, includes original images or research, or provides a deeper dive than a simple summary can offer. Studying your pages that earn high impressions in AI search features,and especially those that also drive clicks from Search,can help you generate more ideas for creating content people genuinely find helpful.I hope we all get access to this report soon. In the meantime, focus on creating non-commodity content that delivers real value beyond what an AI summary can produce.