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Google confirms a logging bug cut impressions in Search Console's generative AI performance report

The glitch affected data from November 9 to 11, 2026, overlapped with the start of the November core update, and had no effect on how sites performed in Search.

By MOBAEO Newsroom··1 min read

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Google has confirmed a data logging error in the Search Console report on generative AI performance in Search. The bug lowered the number of impressions shown for November 9 to 11, 2026.

Google posted the notice on the Search Console data anomalies page, with this text:

“A logging error caused a drop in impressions in the generative AI performance in Search report for data from November 9 to 11, 2026. This issue affects data logging only.”

The issue was reported by Search Engine Roundtable in a story published on November 12 by Barry Schwartz, the site's executive editor. According to the report, anyone who opens the report in Search Console will find an annotation about the error.

It overlaps with the core update

The window of the bug overlaps with the November 2026 core update, which began rolling out on November 10, right in the middle of the affected period. A drop in impressions on those days could easily be mistaken for the effect of the ranking update, so it pays to keep the two events apart in your analysis.

Search Engine Roundtable's take is that this is purely a reporting bug, with no impact on how sites perform in Google Search. If you spotted an odd dip in impressions between November 9 and 11, you are not alone.

What it means for brand teams

If you track your brand's presence in Google's AI-powered answers through Search Console, the November 9 to 11, 2026 numbers in this report should not be read as a real loss of visibility. Since Google itself says the problem affects logging only, comparing that period with previous weeks, and measuring the impact of the November core update, calls for caution.

Key questions

Which period was affected by the bug?

Data from November 9 to 11, 2026, in the generative AI performance in Search report in Search Console.

Was the drop in impressions real?

No. Google says the issue affects data logging only, with no impact on how sites perform in Search.

Is the bug related to the November core update?

The two overlapped: the core update began on November 10, 2026, within the period of the bug, but the error is a data logging issue.

Source: Search Engine Roundtable.

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