Google Search Console now shows traffic from photo searches
A new filter separates visits that started with a picture instead of typed words. Here is what it shows, what it leaves out, and what a local business should do.
On September 24, 2026, Google began rolling out a new way to sort traffic in Search Console: a multimodal option that separates visits from searches that started with a picture from visits that started with typed words. If people point a phone camera at something you sell, or circle an image on their screen, you can now see which of your pages those searches send them to.
Key facts
- The filter lives in the Performance report, under the Web search type, which now splits into text-based and multimodal traffic.
- Multimodal covers searches made with Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, images uploaded to Google Search, and the Search this image option in Chrome.
- It reports clicks, impressions and click-through rate, and lets you break results down by page, country and device.
- It does not show queries. A picture has no typed search term, so the query column stays empty for this traffic.
What does the multimodal filter in Search Console actually tell me?
It tells you which pages on your site are being found by people who searched with a photo rather than a sentence. That is a different kind of customer. Someone typing words usually already knows the name of what they want. Someone holding up a camera often does not. They are looking at a part, a plant, a pair of boots or a storefront and asking Google what it is and where to get it.
For a local business, the useful question is simple: which of my pages show up when people search with their eyes instead of their keyboard? Open Performance, choose Web, switch the new filter to multimodal and look at the Pages tab. That list is your answer.
Why can't I see what people searched for?
Because there was nothing typed. The search began with an image, so there is no phrase to report. You get the destination, not the question. That makes the page list more important than usual: the pages that earn these clicks are telling you which of your photos and products Google already connects to what people are pointing their phones at.
What should a small business do about it this week?
- Look before you change anything. If the filter is not showing yet, your property may not have this traffic, or the rollout has not reached you. Check back in a week.
- Compare the split with your old totals. Text-based plus multimodal should line up with the Web numbers you are used to. If one side is a surprise, find out which pages drive it.
- Treat product and service pages with real photos as the likely winners. Clear, well-lit pictures of the actual thing you sell, taken by you, give a photo search something to match. Stock images of a generic smiling worker do not.
- Name things plainly. Put the product or service name near the photo in normal words, and write alt text that says what is in the picture. It helps people using screen readers and it helps any search that has to make sense of the image.
- Do not chase a number you cannot see. There are no queries here, so resist guessing what people meant. Work from the pages.
Does this change how I should think about search?
A little. Search is no longer only a box you type into. People search with a camera, with a circle drawn on a screen and by asking an AI assistant. The businesses that do well across all of them tend to have the same basics in place: honest photos, plain descriptions, a page for each thing they sell and accurate details about where they are. This filter is Google letting you see one more door customers walk through.
Sources
- Google Search Console Adds Multimodal Filter For Image-Based Searches - Search Engine Journal
- Google Search Console Performance Report Gains Multimodal Search Type Filter - Search Engine Roundtable
- Announcing web multimodal Search performance reporting in Search Console - Google Search Central Blog
They did the reporting. The writing and the opinions here are ours.
Questions people ask about this
What is the multimodal filter in Google Search Console?
It is a new option in the Performance report, under the Web search type, that separates traffic from image-based searches from traffic from typed searches. Google began rolling it out on September 24, 2026.
Which searches count as multimodal in Search Console?
Searches made with Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, images uploaded to Google Search, and Chrome's Search this image option. In each case the search starts with a picture rather than typed words.
Can I see what people searched for with the multimodal filter?
No. Because these searches begin with an image, there is no typed query to report. You can see clicks, impressions, click-through rate, and which pages, countries and devices the traffic came from.
Why is the multimodal filter missing from my Search Console?
It only appears for properties that receive this kind of traffic, and the rollout began on September 24, 2026, so some accounts may see it later. If it is not there yet, check again in a week or so.
How can a local business get found by people searching with photos?
Use clear, original photos of the actual products and services you sell, name each one plainly on the page next to the picture, and write alt text that describes what is in the image. Then use the new filter to see which pages are earning this traffic.
This piece is about Google Search Console Adds Multimodal Filter For Image-Based Searches, published by Search Engine Journal. Go read the original; the opinions here are ours and the reporting is theirs.