New Search Console reporting covers searches made through Google Lens, Circle to Search and image uploads. Ecommerce SEO expert Thomas Phillips explains what retailers should check first.
Google has introduced a new way for website owners to measure traffic from visual searches, giving online retailers a clearer view of how people find their products when they start with an image rather than a typed query.
The new multimodal search filter is being added to Google Search Console’s performance reports. It covers searches made with Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, images uploaded to Google Search and Chrome’s “Search this image” feature. Google says the reporting is rolling out globally from today, with metrics appearing for sites that receive traffic from these searches.
For fashion, beauty and homeware brands, that could make a previously difficult question easier to investigate: are shoppers finding their products after seeing something they like in a photo?
Thomas Phillips, founder of DTC SEO Agency, says retailers should use the new data to identify opportunities across their product catalogue:
“A customer might see a jacket on someone in the street, a lamp in a hotel or a lipstick shade on social media and search with an image to find something similar. Retailers have had limited visibility into how much traffic those searches bring to their websites. Google’s new reporting gives them a place to start looking.
The first step is to open Search Console and check the new multimodal search filter. Look at which product and category pages receive clicks, then compare those pages with products you expected to perform well. If a popular product is missing, examine whether its images and product information show the item clearly and describe it accurately.
A photograph needs to help someone recognise the product, but Google also needs reliable context. Check that the product title, colour, material, size and other relevant details are consistent on the page and in the product feed. Don’t upload the same vague image and description across an entire range and expect every variation to be easy to find.”
What retailers should check now
Thomas recommends starting with three checks:
- Find the pages receiving visual search traffic. Use Search Console’s new multimodal search type filter in the Performance reports, then review which product and category pages appear.
- Inspect the images on those pages. Check whether the main photograph shows the product clearly and whether additional images help shoppers recognise features such as colour, shape, texture or fit.
- Compare product details across the page and feed. Make sure names, variants, availability and other relevant attributes are accurate and consistent, particularly for visually similar products.
Thomas adds:
“This isn’t a reason to replace a retailer’s SEO strategy with an image checklist. It is a chance to see whether visual search is already sending shoppers to the site and which products are benefiting. Start with the evidence in your own account, fix obvious gaps and watch how the figures develop as Google rolls the reporting out.”
Google says the new filter is available in reporting for both Search results and generative AI features. Retailers can also export the data for further analysis.
