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TL;DR: Google’s March and May 2026 core updates are triggering widespread deindexation, with scaled AI content, templated pages, and low-value programmatic publishing putting entire domains at risk.
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Google launched AI performance reporting in Search Console, giving marketers a long-requested signal that their content is appearing in AI-driven search experiences.
But the rollout immediately disappointed many practitioners because the reports focus on impressions and do not provide the click, query, or brand-mention data teams need to connect AI visibility to outcomes.
That gap crystallizes a larger problem in the GEO market: AI search requires new measurement and optimization workflows, but many teams are still relying on traditional SEO dashboards or fragmented AI tools that do not fully explain what is happening.
The market is now seeking a unified view that connects classic SEO performance with AI-generated citations and brand visibility across multiple platforms.
If a marketing team reports on organic performance without AI visibility, the dashboard may now be missing an entire discovery layer. AI systems can cite pages independently of Google ranking positions, making traditional rank tracking incomplete on its own.
The problem is not just visibility. It is accountability. Teams are being asked to prove the value of GEO programs, while Google’s own reporting does not show the queries, clicks, or brand mentions that would make ROI conversations easier.
This creates tool sprawl. Many practitioners are stitching together multiple tools to approximate AI citation tracking, competitor monitoring, and traditional SEO reporting, even though those workflows should be connected.
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Google's guidance makes one thing clear: marketers need evidence, not guesswork. Semrush One helps teams monitor traditional SEO performance and AI visibility in one place, so they can separate tactics that matter from tactics that only sound convincing.
The strongest angle is measurement maturity. Practitioners know AI visibility matters, but they are skeptical of dashboards that simply relabel old SEO metrics as GEO insights.
Google’s new AI reporting validates the need for dedicated AI-search measurement, but it also confirms that first-party data will not answer every question marketers have.
A useful comparison is the “not provided” era of keyword data. The industry adapted by building better third-party tools and more directional measurement frameworks. The same pattern is emerging for AI search.