This series explains Google Search Console reports that are easy to misread, one post per topic. It covers average position, impressions and clicks, Page indexing statuses, regex filters, the Crawl Stats report and AI Overview and AI Mode data. Each post is checked against Google's own documentation and links to the pages it relies on.
TL;DR
- Six posts, each answering one question about a Search Console report.
- Every Search Console behaviour described is taken from Google's help pages or Search Central documentation, with links and "as of" dates.
- Start with the Performance report posts if you track traffic. Start with indexing and crawling if pages are missing from Google.
The series
| # | Post | Question it answers | Search Console report |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is average position in Google Search Console? | How is position calculated, and why does it move when rankings don't? | Performance > Search results |
| 2 | Impressions vs clicks in Search Console | What counts as an impression or a click, and why do they diverge? | Performance > Search results |
| 3 | Page indexing statuses explained | What do "Crawled – currently not indexed" and the canonical statuses mean? | Indexing > Pages |
| 4 | Regex filters in Search Console | How do I group branded, question or folder-level data? | Performance > Search results |
| 5 | The Crawl Stats report explained | How is Google crawling my site, and is my server holding up? | Settings > Crawl stats |
| 6 | AI Overview and AI Mode data in Search Console | What does Search Console report about AI features, and what does it leave out? | Performance, Generative AI report, Settings |
How to use this guide
- Open Search Console and pick the property you want to review. A Domain property gives the widest view; Crawl Stats needs a root-level property.
- If traffic changed, open Performance > Search results and read posts 1, 2 and 4 in that order.
- If pages are missing from Google, open Indexing > Pages and read post 3, then post 5.
- If you want to know how AI search affects you, read post 6 and open the Generative AI performance report.
- Record what you change and when, so you can compare periods later with the Compare option.
How we checked the facts
Search Console changes often. In 2026 alone Google added a Generative AI performance report (announced 3 June 2026) and web multimodal search reporting (announced 24 September 2026). Each post cites Google's pages with the date we checked them: 30 September 2026. Where a third-party figure appears, we checked it on the source page.
For the numbers that matter beyond Search Console, read essential SEO metrics that actually matter. If you need help acting on what you find, see our technical SEO and analytics and reporting services.
Frequently asked questions
Who is this series for?
Marketers, site owners and developers who use Search Console but want to be sure what its numbers mean. Each post starts with a short answer and ends with step-by-step instructions.
Do I need a Domain property to follow along?
No. Most reports work with any property. The Crawl Stats report needs a Domain property or a URL-prefix property at the root of the site, and the branded queries filter is only for top-level properties.
Does Search Console show AI Overview traffic?
Partly. AI Overview and AI Mode clicks and impressions are mixed into the Web search type, and a separate report shows AI impressions by page. Post 6 covers the details.
How fresh is Search Console data?
Google's troubleshooting page says collected Performance data is usually available in 2 to 3 days, and the newest data can be preliminary, shown as a dotted line on the chart. Check the "as of" date next to each source in the posts to see when we last checked Google's pages.
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- Analytics & Reporting: GA4, Search Console and dashboards that tie organic search to revenue.
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Malhar Shah founded and leads Vidern. He has done SEO since 2016, helping SaaS companies, e-commerce brands, and local businesses in the US, UK, UAE and worldwide grow their organic search and AI visibility.