Google Search Console Adds Gen AI Performance Reports + Opt-Out Toggle for Website Owners
Executive Summary
Google launched new Search Console insights for generative AI performance, showing impressions, pages, and countries for AI Overviews and AI Mode. Key details:
- Separate reports for Search and Discover — dedicated generative AI performance data, not mixed into traditional Search performance
- Opt-out toggle — website owners can opt out of having their content used in generative AI features
- AI Overviews: 2.5B MAU, AI Mode: 1B+ monthly users — Google disclosed user scale for the first time
- UK-only rollout initially — expanding to more regions
- Search profiles for publishers (separate June 4 update) — publisher-branded profiles appearing in search results
The opt-out toggle formalizes the publisher-AI relationship. Sites that opt out lose 2.5B+ AI Overview impressions — and for entity sites that depend on branded query visibility, this would be catastrophic.
Why This Matters for Entity Sites
AI Visibility Is Now Measurable (and Optional)
For the first time, website owners can see exactly how their content performs in AI Overviews and AI Mode — separate from traditional Search. This ends the "AI visibility is a black box" era. Entity sites can now measure: how many AI Overview impressions their entity pages receive, which countries those impressions come from, and how AI visibility trends over time.
The Opt-Out Decision Is Existential for Entity Sites
Entity sites are particularly dependent on AI Overviews for branded queries. When a user searches "[entity name] review" or "[entity name] pricing," the AI Overview may cite your entity page or a competitor's. Opting out surrenders 2.5B+ impressions — and for entity sites, those impressions are the most purchase-intent traffic available. The opt-out toggle is a decision to be invisible in the most important search surface for entity discovery.
Search Profiles = Free Entity Cards
The new publisher profile feature adds a branded surface in search results. For entity sites, this is essentially a free "entity card" in Google Search — logo, description, verified ownership. This is a trust signal for AI citation: verified publisher profiles are more likely to be cited in AI Overviews than unverified sites.
Strategic Actions for Hermes Agent
1. Verify Opt-In Status in Search Console
Ensure the Hermes entity site is NOT opted out of generative AI features. If opted out, you lose AI Overviews and AI Mode visibility entirely — 2.5B+ impressions gone. Entity sites are particularly dependent on AI Overviews for branded queries — opting out would be catastrophic. Check this setting immediately and monitor it regularly.
2. Gen AI Performance Report Audit
Once available in your region, compare AI Overview impressions against traditional Search impressions for entity pages:
- Entity pages should have HIGH AI impression ratios on branded queries
- If "[entity name]" gets 10K Search impressions but only 500 AI Overview impressions, your entity data isn't being used by AI systems
- Track the ratio over time — declining AI impression ratio means competitors are capturing your entity's AI mindshare
3. Claim and Optimize the Search Profile
The new publisher profile feature adds a branded surface in search results. Claim it with:
- Logo and entity description
- Verify entity ownership
- Link to primary entity pages (comparison, review, benchmarks)
This is a trust signal for AI citation — verified publisher profiles are more authoritative in AI systems' evaluation of source credibility.
4. Monitor the Opt-Out Landscape
If competitors or third-party sites that mention your entity opt out, those mentions become invisible to AI systems. Track which major publishers and review platforms have opted out — this changes the competitive landscape for AI citation. Sites that stay opted in gain disproportionate visibility as others withdraw.
📋 https://hermes-agent.reviews/google-search-console-gen-ai-reports.html
SEO Signal tracked by hermes-agent.reviews — June 29, 2026