Google Search Console Adds Multimodal Filter for Image Search
Someone can now find your business by pointing their phone camera at a product, and Google Search Console finally lets you see it happening. Here is what the new multimodal filter does, and why it matters even if you have never touched Google Lens.
Google has added a new “multimodal” filter to Search Console’s performance reports. It shows how people find your website through Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads to Google Search, and Chrome’s “Search this image” feature. The rollout is global and started September 24, 2026. This gives website owners their first real look at how visual and camera-based search sends them traffic.
What Google Actually Changed
On September 24, 2026, Google announced a new filter inside Search Console’s performance reports. It is called “multimodal.”
Google explained it on its Search Central blog. The company said this new data would help site owners understand how their pages perform in image and camera-based search, not just typed searches.
This filter shows up in two places. The regular Search results performance report, and the newer Generative AI features report.
It groups together traffic from four sources. Google Lens searches, Circle to Search on Android phones, photos people upload directly to Google Search, and the “Search this image” option when someone right-clicks a picture in Chrome.
Before this update, none of this data was visible anywhere. A visitor could have found your product through a photo, and you would never have known.
Why This Matters More Than It Sounds
It is easy to dismiss this as a small dashboard update. It is not.
Visual search has quietly become a normal part of how people shop and browse, even though most business owners never think of it as a traffic source. Someone walking past a shop window, scrolling through a friend’s photo, or standing in front of a product on a shelf can now just point their phone camera at it. Google figures out what it is and shows results. That single action can lead straight to a website, a product page, or a local business listing. No one has to type a single word into a search bar. Until this update, that whole slice of behaviour was invisible to website owners. It was buried somewhere inside Google’s systems, with no way to measure it. Now, for the first time, a shop owner in Mumbai can actually see whether people are finding their saree collection, their restaurant menu, or their office signage through a photo instead of a typed search. That visibility changes image optimisation from a nice-to-have detail into a measurable channel. It gets its own traffic numbers, its own trends, and its own reason to be taken seriously by anyone managing a website.
Where to Find the New Filter
Log in to Google Search Console for your website.
Open the Performance report. You can use either the Search results version or the Generative AI features version.
Look for the “Search type” filter option near the top of the page.
Select “Multimodal” from the list. You will only see meaningful numbers here if your site already gets some traffic from these visual search methods.
One limit is worth knowing. Google still does not show individual click or query data inside the generative AI features report, only broader totals. That level of detail may arrive later. For now, treat the numbers as a directional signal, not a precise count.
A Quick Image SEO Checklist
Use this table to see how ready your website is for visual and camera-based search.
| Area | Ready | Needs Work |
|---|---|---|
| Alt text | Every product and key image has clear, descriptive alt text | Images are missing alt text or use generic file names |
| Image quality | Sharp, well-lit, high-resolution photos | Blurry, dark, or heavily filtered images |
| File names | Descriptive names like “red-silk-saree-mumbai.jpg” | Default names like “IMG_2041.jpg” |
| Page context | Text near the image explains what it shows | Images sit on pages with little surrounding text |
| Structured data | Product or business schema includes image references | No structured data linking images to products |
Most websites fail two or three of these checks without realising it. None of them require a developer. A few hours of cleanup on your top product pages is usually enough to start.
Mistakes That Look Like Strategy
Uploading large, unoptimised photos and assuming quality alone is enough. Google also needs text clues around an image to understand it properly.
Leaving alt text blank, or filling it with keyword lists. Alt text should describe the image the way you would describe it to a person. It should not be a pile of extra phrases.
Ignoring this new filter because the numbers look small at first. Visual search traffic is still growing. Early data helps you plan before it becomes a bigger channel.
Treating every product photo the same way. A hero image on a homepage deserves more care than a small thumbnail buried in a gallery.
How Ad2Connect Approaches Visual Search
At Ad2Connect, image and visual SEO are never an afterthought. As a Best SEO Agency in Mumbai, we build alt text, file naming, and structured data into every website project from the start, not bolted on later.
For clients whose products depend on strong visuals, like fashion, food, or interiors, our Design agency team makes sure every photo is shot and edited with search visibility in mind, not just aesthetics.
Once a site is optimised for image discovery, our Best Local SEO Services In Mumbai team makes sure local product and listing pages carry the right structured data for Google to understand them fully.
Brands that want their visuals to carry a consistent identity across every platform work with our Top Branding Agencies in Mumbai team, so the same photo style helps both customers and search engines recognise you instantly.
And for businesses running paid campaigns alongside organic visibility, our Leading performance marketing agency in Mumbai team makes sure strong visuals convert into actual enquiries, not just impressions.
This kind of full-stack thinking is what makes us one of the Boutique digital marketing agency in Malad, Mumbai teams that businesses keep coming back to. Learn more about our team.
Key Takeaways
- Search Console’s Performance report now has a “Multimodal” filter, live globally since September 24, 2026.
- It covers traffic from Google Lens, Circle to Search, image uploads, and Chrome’s “Search this image.”
- You will only see data here if your site already receives traffic from these sources.
- Click and query-level data is still missing from the generative AI features report.
- Clear alt text, quality photos, and descriptive file names matter more now that this traffic is measurable.
If your website has strong photos but weak alt text, this new filter is your chance to see exactly what you are leaving on the table. A small clean-up today can open a traffic channel most competitors are still ignoring.
