The practical answer is finally better than it was a month ago.
Google has moved from “AI visibility is folded into the main report” toward a more dedicated reporting layer. That is real progress. It is just not complete measurement.
Short answer
Yes, AI search is more measurable now. No, it is still not fully measurable in the way small businesses would ideally want.
The new reporting helps you see where visibility is happening. It does not eliminate the need for judgment.
What is measurable now
- which pages are appearing in generative AI features;
- how visibility changes over time;
- device and country breakdowns;
- blended web-search performance that still includes AI features.
That is enough to build a baseline and start prioritizing which pages deserve further work.
What is still missing
- full query-level reasoning;
- a direct revenue picture inside Search Console itself;
- a clean way to understand delayed or assisted impact from AI-mediated discovery.
Analysis: small-business reporting still has to connect Search Console data with analytics, branded search, and lead quality.
What to track anyway
- Visible pages: which URLs keep showing up.
- Commercial path: whether those pages lead toward service or contact pages.
- Branded demand: whether AI visibility is followed by more brand-name searches.
- Lead quality: whether new inquiries are better informed or better matched.
CTA: Better measurement does not remove the need for strategy. It just makes it easier to focus on the right pages instead of guessing blindly.