Multimodal search is when someone searches using an image instead of typing words — pointing their phone camera at something with Google Lens, circling a picture on their screen, or uploading a photo. In September 2026, Google started reporting these searches separately in Search Console, which tells us something important: searching with a camera is now common enough for Google to measure on its own. For local businesses, that means your photos are no longer just decoration. They're how some customers find you.
Let me explain with a story.
Let's call him Tom. It's Sunday afternoon and Tom is walking downtown when he spots a pair of work boots in a shop window. The shop is closed. So Tom does what more and more people do now: he pulls out his phone, opens Google Lens, and points it at the boots.
In a second or two, Google shows him where to buy them. Maybe that's the shop he's standing in front of. Or maybe it's a big online retailer that will ship them to his house by Tuesday.
What decides which one Tom sees? A lot of it comes down to photos. And that's why this matters for you.
What Google announced
Google added a new option called "multimodal" to the Performance report in Search Console. It covers searches where someone used an image as part of the search, including Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, image uploads to Google Search, and the "Search this image" option when you right-click a picture in Chrome.
The rollout began on September 24, 2026, and the data shows up in two places: the report for performance on Search results, and the report for Google's generative AI features, as Search Engine Land reported.
Here's the part that surprises people: you won't see what they searched for. Because these searches start with a picture instead of words, Google doesn't show the search terms for this traffic. You can see that someone found you with a picture, but not what the picture was.
Why this matters for a local business
Wait, isn't Google Lens just for identifying plants and dog breeds? It used to feel that way. Not anymore.
Google says Lens is used for nearly 20 billion visual searches every month, and that 20 percent of all Lens searches are shopping-related.
Think about what people point their phones at every day:
- A product on a shelf or in a window, to see what it costs somewhere else.
- A dish on someone's table, to find out where it's from.
- A broken part, to figure out what it is and who can fix it.
- A storefront, to see the hours, the reviews, and whether it's any good.
Every one of those is a local customer making a decision. And when Google answers a picture instead of words, it leans heavily on the pictures it can find online.
If the only photos of your products live on a national retailer's website, that's who gets the sale.
5 things to do this week
You don't need to understand Search Console to act on any of this. Trust me, the fixes are simple.
- Photograph what you actually sell. Real photos of your real products, on your real shelves. Upload them to your Google Business Profile and your website. If someone points their camera at an item in your window, you want Google to find your photo of it.
- Take a clear photo of your storefront from across the street. It's the picture someone's camera will be matching when they stand where you're standing. The Local Marketing Workbook includes a full Google Business Profile photo checklist if you want a list to work from.
- Add your products to your Google Business Profile. Use the Products section with a photo, a name, and a price for each one.
- Describe your photos on your website. Every image can have a short text description behind it, called alt text. Write what's actually in the picture: "brown leather work boots in the window at Main Street Outfitters," not "IMG_4471."
- Keep your photos on your own website, not just Facebook. Social media photos are harder for Google to connect back to your business. Your website is the place you control.
- The hardest part is doing it every week. That's why the Local Marketing Kit includes a 52-week Google Business Profile post calendar with the photo to take for each post.
If you do use Search Console
Here's where to find it, step by step:
- Sign in to Search Console and choose your website.
- Open Performance, then Search results.
- Click Search type at the top of the report.
- Choose Web: multimodal and apply the filter.
Don't worry if it's empty or small. That doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong; it may just mean not many people are searching for your business with a camera yet. There isn't much history to look at so far — early reports showed data going back only to September 10.
Two things to keep in mind: you'll see which pages people landed on, but not the search terms. And the report for Google's generative AI features currently shows impressions, but not clicks.
Frequently asked questions
What is multimodal search?
It's searching with more than just typed words — usually an image. Pointing Google Lens at something, circling part of your screen with Circle to Search, or uploading a photo to Google are all multimodal searches.
Do I need Google Search Console to benefit from this?
No. Search Console only reports what's already happening. The photos you post on your website and Google Business Profile are what actually help you show up.
Can I see what people searched for with Google Lens?
Not in Search Console. Google doesn't show query text for multimodal searches because most of them start with an image instead of words.
What kinds of businesses does this affect most?
Any business where people see something before they buy it: retail shops, restaurants, bakeries, boutiques, garden centers, auto parts stores, and home service businesses whose work shows up in before-and-after photos.
Where to start
So now that we've covered it, where should you begin? Pull out your phone and do what Tom did. Point Google Lens at one of your products, or at your own storefront. Look at what comes back. Is it you?
If it isn't, you know exactly what to do next: go take some photos. Imperfect ones are fine. Let it go and upload them.
If you'd like the whole system for getting found locally, The Local Marketing Handbook is free and takes about fifteen minutes to read: https://thelocalmarketer.com/b/handbook
And if you'd rather have someone walk you through it on your own Google Business Profile, that's what a Live Marketing Session is for: https://thelocalmarketer.com/b/live
Sources
- Google Search Central, "Announcing web multimodal Search performance reporting in Search Console": https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2026/09/web-multimodal-in-sc
- Google, October 2024 Search and Lens updates: https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/search/google-search-lens-october-2024-updates/
- Google, "Google Lens and AI Overviews: New ways for marketers to reach customers": https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/google-lens-ai-overviews-ads-marketers/
- Search Engine Journal: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-search-console-multimodal-filter/590781/
- Search Engine Land: https://searchengineland.com/google-search-console-performance-reports-gets-multimodal-filter-490806
- Search Engine Watch: https://searchenginewatch.com/search-console-multimodal/