The short answer: open the report, run three checks, choose one fix
In about thirty minutes you can open the generative AI report in Search Console, run three quick checks and leave with one page to improve. Google finished rolling the reports out to all websites worldwide on August 31, 2026, after a June 3 launch that reached only a slice of sites, so your property should have the view today.
The data is free and comes straight from Google, yet most small business owners have never looked at it. This plan splits the half hour into three blocks so the review fits between appointments.
Before the clock starts
Your site has to be verified in Search Console first. If it is not, set that up now as a one-time job, since it takes about ten minutes and gives a small business more value than any other free tool it can add.
Five minutes: open the report and know its limits
Sign in to Google Search Console, pick your property and open the Performance section. Look for the Generative AI reports, where one view covers Search and another covers Discover.
The Search view counts impressions from AI Overviews, AI Mode and generative AI features, split by page, country, date and device. The Discover view covers generative AI features inside Discover. An empty view means your site has not collected enough impressions in AI features yet, which is useful to know.
Read the limits before you read the numbers. Each one shapes the conclusions you can fairly draw:
- Impressions only. There is no click data, so the report cannot give you a click-through rate for AI surfaces.
- No average position. Citations show up as inline links, side cards or expandable footnotes, so Google leaves position out.
- No prompt detail. You will not see the conversational questions that surfaced a page.
- Part of the total. The AI data is a subset of your web search data, so never add the two together.
One more rule applies. A link only counts once it has been scrolled or expanded into view, which Google's John Mueller confirmed in June 2026, so a citation hidden in a drawer nobody opens does not register.
Twenty minutes: run the three checks
This block is the core of the review. Work through the checks in order and write down each result.
- Work out your AI share. Compare generative AI impressions with total web impressions for the same period. The ratio shows how much of your Google visibility now happens inside an AI answer.
- Put the two page lists side by side. Sort your top pages by AI impressions, then sort the regular performance report by clicks. The lists rarely match, and pages that explain, define, compare or answer one specific question usually do better in AI surfaces than pages built around a single keyword.
- Read the trend, not the day. Google runs constant interface tests, so daily counts bounce. Judge movement over four to six weeks instead.
Five minutes: pick one page and one fix
Use the last block to choose a single page and match it to the right fix. One finished change beats a long list you never start.
- AI impressions, few clicks. The summary probably satisfies the searcher inside Google. Rework the page so a summary cannot replace it, with pricing detail, local specifics, a real example from your work, a form or a tool.
- Almost no AI impressions. Check the structure. Cited pages tend to answer one clear question near the top, use plain headings that match how people ask, keep paragraphs short and include facts a model can verify, such as service areas, hours, credentials and dates.
- Service pages missing from the list. Plan supporting content around the questions buyers ask first. Cost ranges, timelines, comparisons and what-to-expect pages earn citations far more often than a generic homepage.
Leave the Search generative AI control alone while you are in there. It keeps content out of AI features, and while publishers with paywalls and licensing concerns have reasons to consider it, a local service business that wants to be recommended does not.
Why the half hour is worth it
AI surfaces are no longer a side experiment. Google reported that AI Mode passed one billion monthly users by its May 2026 I/O event, and it has said AI Mode queries run about three times longer than traditional searches, so different pages get pulled into answers than the ones that win short keyword searches.
What thirty minutes will not cover
This report is Google data about Google surfaces only. It says nothing about how ChatGPT, Perplexity, the standalone Gemini app or Copilot describe your business, and those tools pull from different sources such as review sites, directories and community discussions.
Book a second session later to type your own buyer questions into those tools by hand. Note whether you appear, whether the facts are right and who shows up in your place.
Get a second set of eyes on your numbers
If you finish the review and still cannot tell whether your numbers are good or bad, that is normal, because context matters more than raw counts. AppWT can audit your generative AI data alongside your rankings, site structure and content for your Michigan business. Contact us with your questions, or schedule a call and we will go through your Search Console with you.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where should my thirty-minute review begin in Search Console?
Begin in the Performance section, where the Generative AI reports sit in two views, one for Search and one for Discover. If a view is empty, your site has not yet gathered enough impressions inside AI features, and that result is worth noting as well.
Can I measure clicks from AI Overviews and AI Mode during the review?
Not with this report. Since the global rollout it has covered impressions by page, country and date, and the Search view adds a device breakdown, but it carries no click data. That means you cannot work out a true click-through rate for AI surfaces from it.
Should I add my AI impressions to my regular totals while I review them?
No. Google describes the generative AI data as a subset of the web search data that already sits in your overall performance report, not as extra volume. Read it as the share of your existing visibility that happens inside AI answers.
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