Google is starting to give website owners more direct reporting on how their sites appear in generative AI features in Search. The company announced new Search Generative AI performance reports in Search Console on 3 June 2026, with dedicated reporting for Search and Discover intended to help site owners understand visibility in Google’s AI-led search experiences.
On the same day, Google also published a wider update about website controls for Search AI features, prompted by the UK Competition and Markets Authority’s consultation on Google Search. Google said it is exploring updates that could let sites specifically opt out of Search generative AI features, while trying to keep Search useful and understandable for users.
For businesses in Bath, Bristol, Somerset, Wiltshire, Dorset and Gloucestershire, this is not just a publisher-policy story. It is another sign that AI search visibility is moving from guesswork into normal search measurement. The practical question is simple: if Google gives you a clearer view of AI search impressions, clicks or visibility, will your website be ready to interpret what the data is telling you?
Why this matters for local businesses
Many local businesses already know how to read the basics in Search Console: which pages get organic clicks, which queries are bringing people in, and whether technical problems are affecting visibility. AI search has made that harder to understand because the customer journey is changing. A person may ask a broader question, read an AI-generated summary, follow a source link, refine the query, or compare several businesses before ever reaching a website.
Until reporting catches up, it is tempting to rely on anecdotes. One person sees an AI Overview. Another does not. A business owner hears that AI search is taking traffic away. Someone else says AI search is sending better-qualified visitors. Without clearer data, those claims are difficult to separate from noise.
That is why Search Console reporting matters. If generative AI visibility becomes measurable in a more familiar place, it should help website owners see whether AI search is creating exposure, reducing clicks, surfacing particular pages, or changing the balance between discovery and direct traffic. It will not answer every question, but it should make the conversation more grounded.
For any organisation investing in SEO in Bath and the surrounding area, that grounding is useful. It means AI search can be assessed alongside ordinary organic search, local pack visibility, paid search, referrals and direct enquiries rather than treated as a separate mystery.
Do not confuse visibility with value
The important thing is not to turn a new report into a new vanity metric. More AI search visibility may be useful, but only if it supports the right business outcomes. A local accountancy firm, clinic, venue, trades business or professional services company does not need to appear in every AI answer. It needs to be found by the right people, for the right services, in the right geography, with enough trust to generate a sensible next step.
That means Search Console data should be read alongside real business evidence. Are enquiry forms improving? Are phone calls more relevant? Are people landing on useful service pages? Are high-intent local searches still reaching the site? Are customers asking better-informed questions when they get in touch?
If AI reporting shows visibility without useful traffic or enquiries, the answer may not be to chase more impressions. It may be to improve the page that is being surfaced, make the service offer clearer, strengthen local proof, update stale content, or add the missing detail that helps a searcher choose confidently.
Controls are part of the same discussion
Google’s related update on controls is also worth watching. Existing tools such as robots.txt and preview controls already let site owners influence how content appears in Search, and Google has previously introduced Google-Extended for managing how content is used to train Gemini models. The newer discussion is about whether sites should have more specific controls for Search generative AI features.
For most local businesses, opting out is unlikely to be the first concern. A Bath hotel, consultant, retailer, manufacturer or service business usually wants qualified visibility, not less visibility. But the control question still matters because it affects how website content can be used, summarised and surfaced.
The sensible response is to keep ownership of the basics. Make sure important service pages are accurate. Keep pricing, locations, opening information, eligibility, booking steps and contact details current. Avoid vague claims that could be misunderstood when summarised. Put evidence on the page where it belongs: case studies, accreditations, delivery areas, FAQs, staff expertise, policies and examples of work.
This is where AI search optimisation overlaps with ordinary good website practice. The aim is not to write for a machine instead of a person. It is to make the business easier for both people and systems to understand.
What to check when the reports arrive
First, compare AI search visibility with your normal Search Console patterns. Look for pages that appear in generative AI features but do not get much traditional search traffic. Those pages may be answering broader research questions, or they may be cited in contexts where people are still early in the decision process.
Second, look for service pages that should be visible but are missing from the picture. If your core pages are thin, generic or unclear, they may struggle to support both classic search and AI-led answers. A page that says “we provide solutions for businesses” is far less helpful than one that explains who the service is for, where it is offered, what problems it solves, what the process looks like and how someone can take the next step.
Third, check whether your content reflects the questions customers actually ask. AI search often begins with natural, messy questions rather than neat keyword phrases. Local businesses can learn from sales calls, emails, reviews and support queries. If those real questions are not answered anywhere on the website, useful demand may be leaking away.
Fourth, connect the reporting to wider digital marketing activity. AI search visibility is only one part of the route to a lead or sale. Paid search, local listings, email, social proof, referrals and website conversion all still matter. A new Search Console report should help prioritise work, not distract from the whole customer journey.
The calm takeaway
Google’s new Search Console AI reporting should make AI search feel less foggy for website owners. It will not remove every uncertainty, and it will probably take time for businesses to understand which numbers matter. But it is a useful step towards measuring AI visibility with the same discipline already applied to organic search.
For Bath and South West businesses, the best preparation is practical rather than dramatic. Keep Search Console set up properly. Make sure important pages are clear, current and useful. Strengthen the evidence that supports your services. Watch the new reports when they become available, then connect what they show to real enquiries and commercial outcomes.
AI search is changing how people find information, but the core job remains familiar: help the right people understand what you do, why they can trust you, and what to do next.
Sources
Google Search Central: Introducing Search Generative AI performance reports in Search Console
Google: Our approach to website controls for Search AI features
