Google Search Console Launches Multimodal Filter: The Era of Visual Search Officially Has Data

Have you ever wondered what happens when someone photographs a product of yours in real life, uploads it to Google, and finds your website? Or when they use Circle to Search on Android to highlight an image and accidentally discover your brand? In the past, these questions had no answers. That data existed, but it was "hidden," blending into the crowd of millions of standard text searches.

But everything just changed. Google has officially launched the Multimodal filter in the performance report of Search Console – a feature that I, with 20 years of SEO experience, must admit is the most valuable step forward in measuring visual search behavior ever.

What is the Multimodal Filter in Search Console?

Imagine opening the performance report in Search Console and seeing the familiar Search type filter. Previously, you only had options like Web, Image, Video, News. But now, when you select "Web", a new submenu appears with two choices: Text-based and Multimodal.

This is not just a new filter. This is a window into the future of search. According to Google, this filter tracks search results triggered by a query using an image, photo, or screenshot. Meanwhile, purely text-only queries will be tracked as Web text-based.

This means that for the first time, you can separate traffic coming from traditional text-based search and traffic coming from multimodal search features such as:

• Google Lens – when users take a photo or upload an image to search.
• Circle to Search on Android – when users highlight an object on their screen to search.
• Image uploads to Google Search – when users drag and drop or upload images directly to the search box.
• "Search this image" feature on Chrome – when users right-click an image and choose to search.

This is a foundational shift. For years, we talked about "image optimization," but in reality, it was just optimizing alt text and file sizes. Now, we have actual data to know whether those efforts are delivering results.

Why Is This So Important?

Let me tell you a story. A few years ago, I consulted for a small furniture brand. They had stunning product photos taken by a professional photographer. But they didn't have any data to know if customers were finding them through those photos. They could only guess.

With the Multimodal filter, that story is different. Now, they can see exactly how many people found their products by photographing a similar sofa in real life, or by uploading a photo of a living room and getting recommendations for their products.

This opens up a completely new dimension for measuring SEO effectiveness. You no longer just know that someone typed "living room sofa" and found you. You also know that someone saw a sofa in person, photographed it, and found you as an alternative or similar solution.

This is a level of customer insight that was previously unavailable. And it is especially important in the context of rapidly changing user behavior. More and more people – especially the younger generation – use images instead of text to search for information. They photograph a dish, an outfit, a piece of furniture, and let technology do the rest.

What is Missing and Limitations to Keep in Mind

Don't celebrate too quickly and miss the important details. There are several limitations you need to clearly understand before diving into exploiting this new data.

First, query data is not available for this filter. Google explains clearly: because multimodal search primarily uses images instead of text, specific text query data is not available for this traffic. As a result, the queries dimension will not be displayed when you select this search type.

This means you will know how many impressions come from multimodal search, but you will not know what the user searched for. You only know they used an image, but not what that image contained.

Second, this data was previously bundled into the Web (text-based) report. That means if you are comparing your performance data over time, you may see a sudden change when Google starts separating these two types. Do not panic if you see Web traffic "drop" – it is very likely just being reclassified.

Third, this filter is rolling out globally, but not everyone will see it immediately. Google says you will start seeing these metrics in the Performance report if your site is receiving traffic from these queries. If you don't see it yet, be patient – it will arrive.

And one more important thing: even though the Multimodal filter is here, we still do not have click or query data for generative AI performance reports. This is a huge gap still waiting to be filled.

The Broader Context: Multimodal Search is Changing the SEO Game

Google's move does not happen in a vacuum. It is part of a much larger trend: the rise of multimodal search as a primary method of interacting with search engines.

Look at what is happening around us. Google Lens is increasingly integrated deep into the Google ecosystem. Circle to Search has become a beloved feature on high-end Android phones. Chrome allows visual search with just a right-click. And Google is strongly pushing image search capabilities on both mobile and desktop apps.

What does this mean for SEO professionals? It means that image optimization is no longer a side task. It has become an essential part of any comprehensive SEO strategy. If you are not optimizing your images for multimodal search, you are missing out on a huge amount of potential traffic.

And it's not just product photos. It could be instructional screenshots, blog illustrations, location photos, or even screenshots of software interfaces. Any image that can be used as a starting point for a search query is an opportunity.

What You Need to Do Right Now to Leverage the New Filter

Knowing the data is one thing. Knowing how to act is another. Here are the steps you should take starting today:

1. Check If the Filter Has Appeared in Your Account

Open Search Console, go to the Performance report, select the Search type filter, and see if you see the "Multimodal" option under "Web". If so, start exploring the data immediately.

2. Set Up Separate Tracking for Multimodal Traffic

Create a separate filter or segment in your analytics tool to track traffic coming from multimodal search. This helps you avoid confusing the two types of traffic when analyzing trends.

3. Review and Optimize Your Images

This is the time to review all images on your website. Make sure that:

• Image file names clearly describe the content (e.g., luxury-leather-living-room-sofa.jpg instead of IMG_1234.jpg).
• Alt text is fully written, accurately describes the image content, and contains relevant keywords.
• Images are high quality and optimized for the web (WebP format, appropriate dimensions).
• Images are placed in context – meaning they are surrounded by descriptive and explanatory text.

4. Create Unique and Recognizable Visual Content

In the world of multimodal search, unique images have an advantage over stock photos. Invest in shooting product photos, illustrations, and high-quality screenshots. This makes it easy for Google to recognize and associate images with your brand.

5. Monitor Trends Over Time

Multimodal data is just beginning to be collected. Set up a regular schedule to review this data – weekly or monthly. You will gradually see the big picture of how users discover your content through images.

6. Don't Forget Generative AI Reports

Even though the Multimodal filter is here, click and query data for generative AI performance reports is still unavailable. Continue to monitor and prepare for the day that data is published.

When Search is No Longer Just Typing

I've been doing SEO since the days when optimization was simply stuffing keywords into meta tags. I've witnessed the rise of backlinks, the dominance of content, and now the era of AI and multimodal search. Every time the industry changes, there are those who adapt and those who are left behind.

The Multimodal filter is not just a new feature in Search Console. It is a warning that the future of search is shifting toward images. Users no longer just type "buy red sneakers". They photograph shoes they see on the street, upload them to Google, and expect to find a similar – or even better – product.

And if your brand does not appear in those search results, you have lost the customer before the conversation even begins.

The good news is you now have the data. You can see where you stand, who is finding you through images, and who is passing you by. The question is: what will you do with that information?

Have you seen the Multimodal filter in your Search Console? If so, does that data reveal anything surprising about how customers are finding you? If not, how much potential traffic do you think your website is missing from visual search – and how will you change your content strategy to catch this wave? Share your views below, because in the era of multimodal search, the one who sees the opportunity first wins!