Google Lens and visual search data now show in Search Console

What changed and who it hits

Google began rolling out a new Search Console Performance filter for “web multimodal” searches on September 24, 2026. In plain English, this means website owners can start seeing when pages are found through searches that begin with an image instead of typed words.

According to the Google Search Central Blog post, “Announcing web multimodal Search performance reporting in Search Console,” the new filter separates traffic and visibility from searches that start with a photo, screenshot or uploaded image. Google says this includes Google Lens, Circle to Search, image uploads to Google Search and Chrome’s “Search this image” feature. Google also says the data appears in both Search results reporting and Generative AI features reporting.

This hits local businesses that sell, repair, install, display or document anything people can photograph. That includes restaurants, retailers, showrooms, roofers, landscapers, auto shops, appliance repair companies, dentists, med spas, jewelers, flooring stores and contractors with before-and-after project pages.

The practical question is simple: if a customer points a phone camera at a product, part, dish, damage, design or problem, can Google understand your website well enough to show one of your pages?

Why visual search is now a local SEO issue

Local SEO used to be discussed mostly in terms of typed searches, like “plumber near me” or “best sushi in Henderson.” That still matters. Google's local ranking factors are relevance, distance and prominence, and those still shape Map Pack visibility.

But buyers do not always know the right words. A homeowner may photograph a cracked tile. A driver may take a picture of a dashboard warning light. A shopper may use Lens on a chair, faucet, necklace, pair of shoes or menu item. A diner may screenshot a dish from social media and search from that image.

The new Search Console filter does not magically create demand. It makes a hidden behavior more visible. Local businesses can now ask whether their images, pages and business information are strong enough to appear when the search starts visually.

For owners, this adds a new layer to the usual local SEO checklist:

• ▸Your photos need to be clear, original and tied to real services or products.
• ▸Your pages need enough text for Google to understand the photo context.
• ▸Your Google Business Profile should match what your website says.
• ▸Your image file names, captions and surrounding page content should describe what the customer is seeing.
• ▸Your SEO reports should show page-level performance, not only keyword positions.

What the new filter can tell you

Search Engine Roundtable covered the rollout in “Multimodal Search Type Filter In Google Search Console Performance Report,” noting that the filter appears under Search Console's Performance reporting as a search type option. Search Engine Watch also published a practical guide, “How to use Search Console’s new multimodal search filter,” focused on how marketers can inspect the new data.

For a local business owner, the important part is not the label. It is what the filter helps you compare. You can look at which pages get impressions or clicks from web multimodal searches, then compare that with normal web search performance.

That can help you spot whether visual search is finding the pages you would expect. A restaurant might look for menu pages. A cabinet company might look for gallery and service pages. A repair business might look for pages about common parts, models or visible damage.

In Search Console, owners or their SEO provider should be able to review these basic questions:

• ▸Which pages appear through web multimodal searches.
• ▸Whether those pages are product, service, menu, gallery, blog or location pages.
• ▸Which queries or search contexts are available in the report.
• ▸Whether impressions are growing, flat or missing entirely.
• ▸Whether visual-search pages also earn clicks, calls or form leads on the website.

Should you pay for image, page and AI-search optimization now

Yes, if visual discovery can realistically bring you customers. No, if someone is trying to sell it as a stand-alone magic trick without looking at your pages, photos, Search Console data and local business goals.

This update does not mean every local company needs an expensive visual-search package tomorrow. It does mean owners should stop treating images as decoration. Photos are now part of how customers search, how Google understands real-world items and how pages can appear in both traditional Search results and Generative AI features reporting.

A good provider should not simply say, “We optimize images.” That can mean very little. The useful work is more complete: checking what pages Google can see, improving the text around images, making sure service pages match actual customer needs, cleaning up weak media and watching Search Console at the page level.

Pay for it when it connects to revenue paths. A flooring store, roofer, restaurant, med spa, jeweler, landscaper or auto repair shop has obvious visual-search use cases. A local accountant may still care about website performance and AI visibility, but image-led discovery is probably less central.

Before paying for this work, ask an SEO provider these questions:

• ▸Will you review the new web multimodal filter in Search Console.
• ▸Will you report which pages are being found through image-based searches.
• ▸Will you audit real photos, file names, captions and surrounding page copy.
• ▸Will you connect visual-search pages to calls, forms, bookings or store visits where possible.
• ▸Will you review AI-search visibility, not just blue links and keyword rankings.
• ▸Will you explain what changed on the site each month in owner-friendly language.

Five things to check on your website this week

You do not need to be technical to start. The easiest first step is to look at your website the way a visual-search customer would. If a page has photos but no clear explanation, Google and the customer may both struggle.

Start with pages that show things people can recognize in a photo: finished jobs, products, menu items, parts, equipment, rooms, materials, repairs or symptoms. Then make sure each page gives Google enough context to understand what is shown.

Here are five checks to make this week:

• ▸Open your top service or product pages and confirm each important photo is near text that describes the item, service, material, location or problem.
• ▸Replace blurry, generic or stock-looking images with real photos where practical.
• ▸Rename future image files before uploading so they describe the subject in plain words, such as white-shaker-kitchen-cabinets.jpg.
• ▸Add or improve captions where a photo needs context, especially for before-and-after work, menus, parts, styles or models.
• ▸Make sure every important image sits on a useful page with a clear call button, form or booking path.

What to do about it

The owner-level action plan is straightforward. First, make sure you have Search Console installed and that someone with access knows how to use the Performance report. If you work with an SEO provider, ask them to show you the new web multimodal filter as soon as it appears in your property.

Second, pick the pages that should be found visually. Do not start with the whole website. Start with the pages that best match how customers photograph problems or products. A plumber might choose water heater, slab leak and fixture pages. A restaurant might choose menu and catering pages. A contractor might choose project galleries and service pages.

Third, improve those pages before chasing tricks. Use original photos. Write clear headings. Explain what is in the image. Add service area context where it is natural. Make the next step obvious, such as calling, booking, requesting an estimate or visiting the store.

Use this simple workflow:

• ▸Check Search Console for the web multimodal filter.
• ▸List the pages that already get visual-search impressions or clicks.
• ▸List the pages that should get them but do not.
• ▸Improve photos, captions, headings and page copy on those pages.
• ▸Check whether the pages load quickly on a phone.
• ▸Review the report again after Google has time to recrawl and collect data.

Do not ignore page speed and mobile experience

Visual-search users are often on phones. If your page is slow, confusing or hard to tap, visibility may not turn into a lead. A strong photo can earn attention, but the page still has to work.

Google's Core Web Vitals “good” thresholds are LCP 2.5 s, INP 200 ms and CLS 0.1 at the 75th percentile of field data. You do not need to memorize those terms, but your web team should know them. In owner language, the page should load fast, respond quickly when tapped and not jump around while someone is trying to read it.

For local businesses, the most common fixes are practical rather than exotic. Compress oversized photos. Avoid loading massive galleries above the main content. Make phone numbers clickable. Keep forms short. Put the service, city and proof points near the top of the page.

Ask your website or SEO provider to check these items:

• ▸Are image files too large for mobile users.
• ▸Do key pages pass Google's Core Web Vitals thresholds.
• ▸Is the phone number easy to tap from the visual-search landing page.
• ▸Does the page explain the service without making visitors hunt.
• ▸Is there a clear path from photo to quote, booking, order or directions.

How this changes SEO reporting conversations

This update makes thin SEO reporting easier to spot. If a provider only sends a list of keyword rankings, you are missing part of the picture. Rankings still matter, but they do not show every way a customer may discover your business.

A better report should connect Google Business Profile work, website page performance, Search Console data, content changes and conversion paths. With the new filter, it should also show whether image-based searches are finding meaningful pages.

Search Engine Watch's guide emphasizes using the filter to isolate multimodal performance, which is exactly what owners should ask for in plain terms. You do not need a lecture on every metric. You need to know which pages are being discovered, what was improved and what to fix next.

Your monthly SEO report should answer these questions:

• ▸Which pages earned visibility from web multimodal searches.
• ▸Which visual-search pages produced clicks or useful engagement.
• ▸Which pages were updated with better images or clearer copy.
• ▸Which important pages have no visual-search visibility yet.
• ▸What the next page-level fixes are.
• ▸How this connects with Map Pack, organic and AI-search visibility.

Where Google Business Profile fits

The new filter is in Search Console, not Google Business Profile. That matters because it reports website visibility, not just profile interactions. Still, your profile and website should reinforce each other.

If your website shows one set of services and your profile shows another, you create confusion. If your photos show work you no longer offer, outdated menus or old showroom items, that can also hurt trust. Local search is strongest when the website, profile, reviews, categories, services and photos tell the same story.

For local visibility, remember the basics: relevance, distance and prominence. Visual-search reporting adds more detail to relevance. It helps reveal whether Google can connect an image-led search with a page that actually answers the customer.

Check these profile-to-website signals:

• ▸Your primary and secondary categories match your real services.
• ▸Your services and products on the profile match your website pages.
• ▸Your profile photos reflect current work, inventory, menu items or locations.
• ▸Your website links from the profile go to helpful pages, not just a generic homepage.
• ▸Your location and service area details are consistent across the web.

What owners should not overreact to

Do not panic if you do not see meaningful web multimodal data right away. Google said the feature began rolling out, so availability and volume may vary. Some businesses may see useful data quickly. Others may need more time, better pages or more visual demand in their category.

Do not assume every impression is a lead. Some visual searches are research, curiosity or comparison. The goal is not to celebrate a new metric. The goal is to learn which pages deserve improvement and whether visual discovery can become a real path to inquiries.

Also, do not let anyone sell you image optimization without asking about the page. A photo by itself rarely closes the gap. The surrounding content, internal links, business details, loading speed, trust signals and next step all matter.

Be careful with these claims:

• ▸Promises that image optimization alone will dominate search.
• ▸Reports that show impressions but ignore calls, forms or bookings.
• ▸AI-search packages that never inspect Search Console.
• ▸Photo audits that ignore page copy and local intent.
• ▸Keyword reports that never mention page-level performance.

The decision for your business

Google's new web multimodal Search Console filter is not a small reporting tweak for local businesses with visual services or products. It is a sign that search behavior is moving beyond typed keywords, and Google is giving owners a way to see part of that shift in their own data.

The right decision is not to buy every new SEO add-on. The right decision is to ask whether customers can recognize what you sell, repair, cook, install or build through a camera. If yes, your SEO should include image quality, page context, Search Console review and AI-search visibility, not just keyword tracking.

At Digital Domination, we look at this from the perspective of a Las Vegas local SEO agency serving local service businesses nationally. If you want to understand how AI search connects with local SEO, our AI SEO service page at digitaldomination.ai/ai-seo/ explains how we approach visibility in AI answers, search features and page-level optimization in plain words.

If you want a starting point before paying for anything, begin with your local visibility. Digital Domination's free GeoGrid scan checks 169 points across your market so you can see how you appear across town, not just from your own office. Get the free scan at digitaldomination.ai/scan/.