Google Merchant Center’s AI Performance Insights report now breaks down how products match AI-driven searches and where merchants can lift visibility. Three new sections, AI Search intent, AI Search terms, and AI Attributes, sit alongside the existing performance data and give retailers concrete signals on what to add or rewrite in their product feeds.
What changed inside the report
The AI Performance Insights report first launched in July and has been rolling out to more regions in the weeks since. The newest update adds three reporting blocks designed to connect product feed quality with how AI surfaces products in search.
According to the breakdown shared from a screenshot of the live report, each section has a specific job:
- AI Search intent shows how products align with customer AI searches, so a merchant can see which queries their catalog currently satisfies and which it misses.
- AI Search terms recommends popular terms to include in product descriptions for products that already appear in AI searches, giving merchants a target list of phrases to weave into copy.
- AI Attributes flags missing attributes on products that appear in AI searches, pointing to fields in the feed that, once filled in, could lift visibility.
Why these signals matter for merchants
Each of the three sections feeds a different decision. AI Search intent answers “am I showing up for the queries my customers ask AI?” AI Search terms answers “what language do I need to use in product descriptions to show up more often?” AI Attributes answers “what structured data is my feed missing that AI uses to decide?” Together, they cover the three levers a merchant can actually pull: catalog coverage, on-page copy, and structured product attributes.
The recommendations inside the terms and attributes sections are tied specifically to products that already appear in AI searches, so the guidance is scoped to inventory that has traction rather than the full catalog. That makes the suggested edits more actionable than a blanket best-practice list.
What this means in practice
For a retailer running shopping ads and free listings, the practical workflow now looks like this: open the AI Performance Insights report, sort by AI Search intent to spot gaps, copy suggested AI Search terms into product descriptions, and fill in the AI Attributes the report flags as missing. None of these steps require a developer, and the report itself surfaces the candidates.
Google also updated the help documentation for the report alongside the new metrics, so the in-product definitions align with the written guidance. A side-by-side comparison of the documentation shows the additions and clarifications that go with each new section.
How the rollout is progressing
The AI Performance Insights report launched in July 2026 and began expanding to more regions earlier in September. The addition of AI Search intent, AI Search terms, and AI Attributes is part of that broader rollout rather than a separate launch, which means merchants who already see the report should now see the three new sections, and merchants still waiting on access should see them as the rollout reaches their region.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ
What is the Google Merchant Center AI Performance Insights report?
It is a reporting tool inside Google Merchant Center that tracks how products perform in AI-driven searches. It launched in July and has been rolling out to more regions.
What are AI Search intent, AI Search terms, and AI Attributes?
They are three new sections added to the AI Performance Insights report. AI Search intent shows how products match customer AI searches, AI Search terms recommends popular phrases to add to product descriptions, and AI Attributes flags missing product attributes that could improve visibility.
How can merchants use the new AI Search terms and AI Attributes sections?
Merchants can review the recommended terms and add them to product descriptions for items that already appear in AI searches, then fill in the missing attributes the report flags. Both recommendations are scoped to products with existing AI search traction.
Related coverage
- Google AI Search Is Linking to Source Websites Again, Here’s What Changed – BizScoreAI
- Google’s AI Search Guide Isn’t Reassuring. It’s a Warning About Generic Content – BizScoreAI
- Google AI Mode vs AI Overviews: Study Reveals Divergent Search Behavior – BizScoreAI
SEOScanPro
SEOScanPro has the AI visibility report runs a full technical audit of a site and shows the measured result behind every check. Open the AI visibility report.
This article summarizes reporting from seroundtable.com. See our editorial disclaimer for how our articles are produced.
Run a free scan to see your AI Visibility Score, SEO rating, and local citation accuracy.