Google AI Mode Just Added Search Console Data
Just when you thought dental SEO couldn’t get any more complicated, Google adds another twist, this time powered by artificial intelligence.
Following the comprehensive rollout of Google’s new AI Mode, confusion arose over reporting and tracking. As of this week, AI Mode is officially part of the data you’ll see in your Google Search Console reports. That means if your dental practice shows up in one of Google’s interactive AI answers, you’ll now see impressions, clicks, and ranking positions for those appearances. This is big news for anyone tracking website performance and a major reminder of why understanding AI and SEO is more important than ever for dentists.
Table of Contents
- What Is Google AI Mode?
- What Is Google Search Console
- What’s New: AI Mode Data in Search Console
- What You Still Can’t See in Search Console
- Why This Matters to Dental Practices
- Quick Tips to Help Your Dental Practice Show Up in Google AI Mode & Overviews
- Feeling Overwhelmed? That’s Where We Come In
- FAQ
What Is Google AI Mode?
Google’s AI Mode is a new, smarter way users get search results. Instead of a simple list of blue links, it gives detailed, AI-powered answers complete with links, images, carousels, and more interactive content. It breaks down complex questions into subtopics and delivers deeper, more tailored results.
For dental practices, this means your website could show up in more advanced search formats, giving you new opportunities to reach patients…that is, if your dental SEO is in check.
What Is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool that shows how your website performs in Google Search. It tracks things like:
- What search terms people use to find you
- How many times your site shows up
- How many clicks you get
- Where you rank on the page
It’s essential for understanding how patients are discovering your practice online and what needs improvement.
What’s New: AI Mode Data in Search Console
Starting now, Google Search Console includes data from AI Mode, so you’ll see clicks, impressions, and rankings from AI-powered results alongside your usual search data.
Here’s what that means:
- Clicks: Any time someone clicks your website link in an AI result, it counts.
- Impressions: If your content appears in an AI answer, that’s an impression.
- Position: Your ranking in AI Mode is tracked like regular search results—each element (like a link card or image) gets its own position.
This update gives a more complete picture of how your website performs in the new, AI-driven search landscape.
If you’re curious, here’s what Google added to its Help documentation for Search Console:
What You Still Can’t See in Search Console
While it’s great that Google is now including AI Mode data in Search Console, there are still some important limitations to know about.
Even with this update, you can’t filter your performance report to see only AI Mode impressions, clicks, or CTR (click-through rate). It’s all blended into your total search data. That means while your dental practice might be getting visibility through AI-powered results, there’s no clear way to isolate that traffic.
The same goes for Google’s AI Overviews—those brief summaries powered by AI that appear at the top of some search results. Google doesn’t currently break those out either.
So yes, we have more data, but it’s still a bit of a black box. And that’s one more reason it pays to work with SEO experts who can interpret these changes and fine-tune your strategy accordingly.
Why This Matters to Dental Practices
This change means your dental website can now show up in even more places on Google, and you can finally track it. Yay! That’s a big opportunity.
But it’s also more data to sift through. And let’s face it: most dentists don’t have time to analyze impressions and AI carousel rankings between patients and paperwork.
If your practice is trying to stay visible online, understanding how you appear in AI search is just one more piece of the SEO puzzle. And it’s a puzzle that keeps changing, and every so often Google comes to look at your progress, smiles, and kicks over the table where you’ve been working.
Quick Tips to Help Your Dental Practice Show Up in Google AI Mode & Overviews
Want to improve your chances of being featured in AI-powered search results? Here are a few easy wins:
- Answer Common Patient Questions: Create blog posts and service pages that clearly answer things like “Does teeth whitening hurt?” or “What’s the difference between a crown and a veneer?”
- Use Local Keywords: Include your city, neighborhood, and services in your content (e.g., “Salt Lake City dental implants” or “family dentist in Sugar House”).
- Keep Your Website Fast and Mobile-Friendly: AI results pull from sites that are technically sound—slow, outdated pages get left behind.
- Use Clear Headings and Formatting: Break up your content with H2s, bullet points, and short paragraphs. AI loves clean, scannable pages.
- Maintain a Strong Google Business Profile: AI Mode may pull data from multiple sources. Make sure your Google listing is accurate, active, and packed with helpful info.
These small steps can make a big difference, and if you want a fully optimized AI-friendly dental site without the hassle, then psst, that’s exactly what we do at My Social Practice.
Feeling Overwhelmed? That’s Where We Come In
If keeping up with Google’s constant SEO updates feels like a second full-time job, that’s because it is. (Hint: it’s our job!) Especially now that AI is changing the game in real-time.
At My Social Practice, we help dental professionals make sense of it all. From tracking AI Mode data to optimizing your site for local search, we handle the heavy lifting so you can focus on your patients, not position metrics.
We stay ahead of the trends so your practice doesn’t get left behind.
Let’s Keep Your Practice Ahead of the Curve
Google’s search landscape is evolving fast and dental practices that adapt will be the ones new patients find first.
Don’t let AI-mode metrics and SEO jargon slow you down. Partner with My Social Practice as your dental marketing company, and we’ll turn that data into growth, not guesswork.
Contact us today to see how we can boost your visibility and simplify your marketing, no AI decoder ring required.
About the Author: Megan Nielsen is an SEO strategist and the Grand Overlord of copywriting at My Social Practice. My Social Practice is a dental marketing company that offers a full suite of dental marketing services to thousands of dental practices throughout the United States and Canada.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Google AI Mode and how does it affect my dental website?
Google AI Mode is a new search experience that gives users a more interactive, personalized answer powered by artificial intelligence. It can include links, images, and multiple content blocks. If your dental website shows up in one of these AI results, it’s a new opportunity to attract click, but only if your content is optimized to be found.
How can I tell if my dental website is showing up in AI search results?
You can now track this in Google Search Console! As of June 2025, impressions, clicks, and rankings from AI Mode and AI Overviews are included in your Performance report. If your site is appearing in AI responses, you’ll see that activity reflected in your data, though Google doesn’t let you filter it out separately just yet.
Does this mean I need to change my SEO strategy for my dental practice?
Not necessarily, but it’s a good time to update your strategy. AI search favors clear, trustworthy, well-organized content. That means your site should have helpful pages about your services, answer common patient questions, and be optimized for local search. If your current SEO is outdated or inconsistent, you could be missing out on valuable visibility.
I don’t understand all this data—do I really need to look at Search Console?
While it’s not required, Search Console gives you vital insight into how patients are finding you online. It shows what keywords they’re searching, how often they click, and where your site ranks. But if analyzing data isn’t your thing, that’s okay. We can do it for you and translate it into action steps that actually grow your practice.
How can I optimize my dental website for AI search results?
Focus on creating clear, helpful content that answers real patient questions. Use structured headings, local keywords (like your city and services), and make sure your website loads fast and looks great on mobile. Google’s AI looks for quality and relevance, so your site needs to deliver both. Or, save time and partner with a dental marketing company that does it all for you.
