Search Console multimodal filter tracking is officially rolling out to all global users, bringing massive insights to SEO professionals. Google is adding a powerful new filter to the Search Console Performance report, comprehensively covering searches where someone used an image as part of the search query.
Just as webmasters must rigorously monitor algorithmic shifts (read our complete guide on September 2026 spam update recovery secrets), digital marketers must now track exactly how users discover their products via smartphone cameras and visual search tools. According to the official announcement on the Search Central blog, this new data includes searches originating from Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads directly to Google Search, and the Google Chrome right-click “Search this image” feature. If you want to master this new dimension of SEO, here are 5 best shocking secrets you need to understand about the Search Console multimodal filter.
Table of Contents
- What the Search Console Multimodal Filter Covers
- Limitations Regarding Query Data
- How to Access and Export the Data
- The Impact on Generative AI Reporting
- Why This Matters for E-commerce SEO
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. What the Search Console Multimodal Filter Covers
The new feature can be found under the primary “Web” search type in your reporting dashboard. Google’s updated Performance report documentation now divides Web traffic into “Text-based” traffic—which comes strictly from text queries typed into the standard search bar—and “Multimodal.”
The Search Console multimodal filter specifically includes web search results where an image was physically used as part of the search query. Harsh Kharbanda, Product Manager Lead for Google Lens, and Moshe Samet, Product Manager Lead for Search Console, shared their specific insights, noting that this update is designed to give publishers direct insights into exactly how their content is surfaced when users search using images.
2. Limitations Regarding Query Data
One of the most important aspects of the Search Console multimodal filter is that multimodal traffic comes completely without keyword query data. Google’s dimensions help page clearly explains why this occurs: because multimodal searches mostly use images rather than text, specific text query data simply is not available for this traffic.
As a direct result, the queries tab is entirely unavailable when you select the multimodal search type. You are essentially left working strictly with page-level metrics when evaluating the Search Console multimodal filter in your daily workflows. A product page showing multimodal clicks tells you definitively that it was clicked from a search where an image was used, but it does not tell you the exact visual elements or image the person used to trigger that result.
3. How to Access and Export the Data
To pull this vital data out for deeper analysis, the official announcement points users directly to the Export button located inside the report. Interestingly, the Search Analytics API reference, which was last updated in mid-August, currently lists web, image, video, news, Discover, and Google News as its primary report types.
It does not yet list a separate distinct value for the type parameter regarding the Search Console multimodal filter. Therefore, digital marketers relying on automated reporting dashboards will currently need to manually export this data through the Search Console web interface. You can review the official API documentation directly on Google Search Central to track future endpoint releases.
4. The Impact on Generative AI Reporting
Google also explicitly notes that multimodal reporting is rolling out to the generative AI performance report, which reached all global sites in late August. This means the Search Console multimodal filter will deeply intersect with how AI overviews handle image-based prompts.
However, it is crucial to remember that the generative AI report currently only counts impressions, not direct clicks. Combining these two new datasets will give e-commerce managers a massive competitive advantage when optimizing product photography for machine learning algorithms and visual search applications like Google Lens. Leveraging the Search Console multimodal filter alongside generative performance metrics helps uncover which visual assets drive early discovery.
5. Why This Matters for E-commerce SEO
For online stores and visual publishers relying on high-quality product photos, the Search Console multimodal filter offers an unprecedented, page-level view of exactly what people find when they search using an image, a phone picture, or a screenshot.
You can compare these specific pages with traffic driven by traditional text searches, broken down by country and device. Because this filter’s global rollout began today, you might not see the option in every single property immediately. Google’s documentation does not explicitly specify whether multimodal data includes historical data from before today or if the new split actively affects existing Web totals. Once your property displays the Search Console multimodal filter, take a deliberate moment to compare the new split with a full day’s worth of Web totals to establish your new traffic baseline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Search Console multimodal filter?
The Search Console multimodal filter is a new reporting filter in Google Search Console that specifically tracks impressions and clicks generated from image-based searches, such as Google Lens, Circle to Search, and direct image uploads.
Does the Search Console multimodal filter show query keywords?
No. Because these searches rely on uploaded images rather than typed text, Google does not provide specific keyword query data within the Search Console multimodal filter reports. You can only evaluate performance at the page level.
How do I enable this tracking?
You do not need to enable anything manually. Google is rolling this feature out globally to all Search Console properties. You will find it as an option under the “Web” search type filter in your Performance report.
