Google Search Console adds multimodal filter for Lens and Circle to Search traffic

Google Search Console has added a multimodal search type filter to its Performance reports, giving website owners a way to measure traffic that begins with an image rather than typed text. According to dev.to, the filter combines activity from Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads to Google Search, and Chrome's right-click "Search this image" option. Google says the feature started a global rollout on September 24, 2026, with data appearing as covered queries reach a site.

What the filter covers

The new dimension captures searches where a user starts Google Search with visual input. As dev.to points out, it is not a report on every image a site hosts, and it is not a separate analytics product — it is a new search-type view embedded in the Performance reporting that teams already use.

Four entry points are merged under the single multimodal label:

• Google Lens searches initiated from an image
• Circle to Search queries on Android
• Image uploads to Google Search
• Chrome's right-click "Search this image" feature

That grouping matters for interpretation. Rather than providing a separate filter for each named pathway, Google folds them into one aggregate view of image-initiated search behavior.

Where to find it

Per dev.to, the filter is available in two places: the standard Search results Performance report and the Generative AI features report. Site owners apply it like any other search type filter.

Because metrics materialize only when traffic from these queries arrives, an empty report shortly after rollout should not be read as evidence that images never drive discovery. The sensible first step is simply checking whether a property registers any measurable activity through the new filter.

What the announcement does not do

dev.to flags several limits worth noting:

• There is no breakdown between Lens, Circle to Search, uploaded images and Chrome image search — the data is combined.
• Google prescribes no optimization checklist and guarantees no additional traffic.
• The feature does not establish that every image on a site is eligible to appear in these search journeys.

The practical implication is that teams should observe the reported data before reworking content workflows or allocating more budget to visual assets.

A measured way to use the new data

dev.to suggests treating multimodal reporting as a recurring measurement view rather than a one-time novelty:

1. Confirm the filter is returning data for the property.
2. Identify which pages show up in the filtered Performance view.
3. Compare that filtered view against broader search performance to gauge its relative role.
4. Revisit the report as the rollout matures and more traffic accumulates.

If consistent activity appears, document the affected URLs and use that evidence when planning content updates or reviews of visual assets.

Why it matters

Visual input can set a search journey on a different path than a conventional keyword query, and until now that activity was largely invisible or scattered across Search Console reporting. Publishers, ecommerce sites, local businesses and any team relying on Search Console now have a defined way to separate a combined set of image-initiated interactions from other traffic and judge whether the channel matters for them.

Image-led search is likely most relevant where people want to identify, compare or learn about something visible. The real shift is that decisions about investing in visual content can now be grounded in reported data rather than assumptions about audience behavior — and the view arrives inside the tool most search teams already use, with no new instrumentation required.