Google’s throwing a wrench in SEO data by tracking AI search traffic separately from regular organic results. Website owners can’t even filter this stuff properly yet—Google hasn’t released the tools. Right now, AI traffic‘s barely 1% of visits, but that’s like ignoring mobile in 2010. Big mistake. The real kicker? Traditional metrics are becoming worthless as users get answers without clicking through. SEO pros better prepare themselves because everything they know is about to change.

While most SEO professionals are still obsessing over traditional Google rankings, the search giant has quietly started tracking AI Mode traffic in Search Console—a move that’s about to make everyone’s analytics dashboards a whole lot messier.

Google’s now separating AI-driven search traffic from regular organic results, tracking clicks, impressions, and average positions for each. Great. As if SEO wasn’t complicated enough already. The kicker? There’s no official AI Mode filter yet, though one’s supposedly coming. Site owners get to play detective in the meantime, trying to figure out which traffic comes from where.

The numbers tell an interesting story. AI Search traffic makes up less than 1% of most sites’ visits right now. Don’t celebrate yet—that number’s expected to climb. Traditional Google Search still dominates, but ignoring AI traffic would be like ignoring mobile search in 2010. We understand how that turned out for some websites.

Here’s where it gets messy. AI Overviews are replacing those familiar blue links with AI-generated summaries packed with ads and monetized content. Users get their answers without clicking through to actual websites. Convenient for them, terrifying for site owners who built their business on click-through traffic.

Google I/O 2025 dropped more bombshells. Gemini Agent Mode lets AI fill out forms and interact with websites like actual users. Visual search got an upgrade with Search Live, interpreting real-time camera input. Shopping features now include virtual try-ons and autonomous purchases. The search results page itself is becoming the destination, not the starting point. Search results now feature in-SERP charts and visual answers that keep users engaged without leaving Google’s ecosystem.

Data interpretation? Good luck with that. AI Mode traffic blends into general analytics, creating attribution nightmares. Impressions and clicks get counted differently when AI-generated content mixes with ads. Traditional position metrics? They’re becoming as reliable as weather forecasts. Metrics can be segmented by device, location, and search appearance, but separating AI influence from traditional patterns remains challenging.

SEO professionals face a stark reality: adapt or become irrelevant. Content quality matters more than ever, but that’s just the beginning. The game’s changing, and Google’s not waiting for anyone to catch up. Those analytics dashboards aren’t getting simpler anytime soon.