Google has acknowledged an awkward limitation in Search Console: its reporting does not describe visibility in AI-generated search results as neatly as many website owners might expect.
The issue was discussed after questions about how impressions and average position work for links shown within AI Overviews and other generative search features. Google’s John Mueller agreed that position is difficult to report usefully in this setting. Search Console currently treats an AI feature as a block, rather than assigning a meaningful rank to every source link inside it.
For businesses in Bath and across the South West, the practical message is not that Search Console has become useless. It is that familiar numbers such as impressions and average position need more careful interpretation when AI results are involved.
Why the old idea of “position” struggles in AI search
Traditional search reporting was built around a reasonably simple list of results. If a page appeared third, average position could help describe where it was seen. An AI Overview is different: it may contain a generated answer, several source links, expandable sections and other interactive elements.
Search Console can record the position of the AI feature on the results page, but that is not necessarily the position or prominence of an individual citation within it. A source link tucked into an expanded section could have a very different chance of being noticed from one displayed prominently, even if both inherit the same reported position.
Impressions also need context. A link may count under the standard rules when the relevant result is served, even if the searcher never scrolls far enough to see it. Conversely, a link hidden behind a “show more” control may not count until that section is opened. The number is a technical measurement, not proof that somebody read or remembered the business name.
What local businesses should avoid doing
The biggest risk is treating one Search Console figure as a complete score for AI visibility. A rise in impressions can be encouraging, but it does not automatically mean more people visited the website, understood the offer or made an enquiry.
Average position is particularly easy to overread. If it changes sharply, do not assume a page has simply moved up or down an ordinary list of links. The mix of search features, queries and devices may have changed, while the reported position may belong to a whole AI block.
Businesses should also resist paying for confident-looking “AI rank” reports without asking what is actually being measured. Generative answers can vary by wording, location, timing and personal context. A single snapshot may be useful evidence, but it is not a permanent league table.
A more useful measurement approach
Search Console remains valuable when it is combined with other evidence. Start by separating three questions:
- Is the business or its website appearing for relevant subjects?
- Are people reaching the website from search?
- Are those visits producing worthwhile actions such as calls, bookings, sales or enquiries?
Use Search Console to review query themes, pages, clicks and longer-term changes. Then compare those patterns with website analytics and genuine business outcomes. A Bath hotel might watch searches around weekend breaks and events; a Somerset manufacturer might track specialist product questions; a Wiltshire professional service might focus on location-and-service combinations that lead to enquiries.
Look at trends over weeks rather than reacting to a single day. Record important website changes and campaigns so that shifts have some context. Where lead quality matters, connect enquiry records back to landing pages or channels where this can be done responsibly.
This is also a good reason to keep SEO work grounded in useful search demand instead of chasing a headline metric. A page that answers a real customer question clearly can still be valuable even when the reporting interface cannot describe every AI citation precisely.
What to improve on the website now
No special trick will fix an imperfect reporting system. The sensible response is to make the business easier for both people and search systems to understand.
Check that important service pages state plainly what is offered, who it is for and where it is available. Support claims with evidence such as accurate business details, relevant experience, case studies and clear authorship where appropriate. Keep key facts consistent across the website and trusted business listings.
Pages should answer the questions customers actually ask, with descriptive headings and specific information rather than generic marketing language. This overlaps with practical AI search optimisation: clear entities, credible evidence and well-structured content help systems understand when a business may be relevant.
It is also worth checking that measurement basics work. Analytics should record important actions, forms should be tested, phone and email enquiries should be handled consistently, and campaign links should use sensible tracking. Better measurement outside Search Console reduces the temptation to demand more certainty from one imperfect report.
Treat the numbers as clues, not a verdict
Google’s acknowledgement is useful because it confirms that AI search does not fit comfortably into the old language of ten ranked links. Search Console can show part of what is happening, but its impression and position figures cannot fully describe whether a citation was prominent, noticed or persuasive.
For local businesses, the right response is calm rather than dramatic: monitor relevant trends, test the journeys that lead to enquiries, and keep improving the clarity and usefulness of the website. That provides a stronger basis for decisions than any single AI visibility number.
