Google Search Console now shows image-led searches. Here is how to read the new Multimodal filter.

Yes, Google Search Console now reports searches that start with an image. On 24 September 2026 Google added a Multimodal option to the Performance report, under the Web search type. It covers Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, images uploaded to Google Search and Chrome's right-click "Search this image". If your numbers moved in the last month, this is one thing to check first.

I look at Search Console for every site we run, so this is a change I wanted to read properly. Below is what it shows, what it leaves out, and the few checks worth doing this week.

What is the Multimodal filter in Search Console?

Multimodal means a search that uses more than text. A shopper photographs a lamp in a friend's house and asks Google where to buy it. Someone circles a product in a video. Before this update, that traffic was not labelled separately from typed searches.

According to Google's Search Console help page, the search type filter now offers these options:

• Web, text-based: traffic from text queries typed into the search bar.
• Web, multimodal: traffic from searches that use images, such as Lens, Circle to Search, uploads and Chrome image search.
• Image: traffic from the Google Images tab.
• Video: traffic from the Google Videos tab.
• News: traffic from the News tab and news results.

Where do I find it?

Open Search Console, go to Performance, then Search results. Use the search type control at the top of the report. Under Web you will see Text-based and Multimodal. Google says the rollout is global, but it is gradual, so your property may not show the option yet. Search Engine Journal also reports that figures appear only for sites that actually receive this traffic.

What does the Multimodal filter not tell you?

The limits matter more than the headline. Google's help documentation says that because multimodal searches mostly use images rather than text, specific query data is not available for this traffic. You will see which pages were shown and clicked, but not what the image looked like or what the person wanted.

Do not panic if clicks or impressions look different from last month. Part of the shift may be how Google now labels the traffic, not a loss of visitors. Compare like with like before you change anything.

Should a small business care about image-led search?

For shops, restaurants, interior designers, clothing brands and anyone who sells something people can photograph, yes. Image-led search is a way for a customer to find a product without knowing its name. For a service business with no visual product, it will matter much less.

I will not give you a share or a percentage here. Google has not published one for small sites, and the filter is too new to say what is normal. The honest first step is to measure your own site for a month.

What should I check this week?

• Open the Multimodal filter and note which pages appear. These are the pages Google already connects to images.
• Compare the date range before and after 24 September, and see whether the drop or rise sits inside the Web total.
• Check that your product and service pages have clear, original photos, not stock images used on ten other sites.
• Write alt text that describes what the photo shows, in plain words. Do not stuff it with keywords.
• Make sure images load fast on a phone and are not blocked from crawling.
• Keep product names, prices and availability on the page as real text, so Google can match the image to the offer.

Is it worth acting on if the numbers are small?

Often the multimodal number will be tiny, and that is fine. A small number still tells you something: which of your pages Google trusts enough to show for a photo. Those pages are your best visual assets. Improve them first, then copy what works onto the rest of the site.

Check again in four weeks. One month of data is thin, but two or three months will show whether the channel is growing for you. Keep a simple note of the figures each month, so you are not guessing later.

How does this link to AI search?

Google has put the multimodal data into reporting that sits next to its generative AI features. The direction is clear: search is moving from typed keywords to pictures, voice and AI answers. A site with clean structure, honest photos and clear text is easier for all of these to read. We covered the text side of this in how to be the answer in AI search.

How we help

We set up Search Console properly, read the new reports for you and fix what they point to: image quality, page speed, structure and content. If you want a second pair of eyes on your numbers, see our SEO, GEO and AEO service. If the problem is a slow or dated site, our web projects work covers that. Or contact us and tell us what you sell.