Are you really missing a significant chunk of your traffic by not filtering by search type in Search Console?

Why does Google limit the default view to Web results?

The Search Console Performance report displays classic Web tab data by default. This is a UX choice — most websites generate the bulk of their traffic from this tab.

But this default setting hides data from other tabs: Image, Video, and News. If your content performs in these verticals, you risk underestimating your actual visibility and missing optimization levers.

How do you access data filtered by search type?

In the Performance report, a dropdown menu labeled "Search type" lets you switch between Web, Image, Video, and News. Each filter displays impressions, clicks, CTR, and average position specific to that tab.

Data doesn't stack: filtering on "Image" excludes Web results. For a complete picture, you need to check each filter separately and cross-reference the insights.

Which sites benefit most from these alternative filters?

Any site publishing optimized images (e-commerce, portfolios, visual blogs) can leverage the Image filter. Video content publishers (YouTube, embedded Vimeo, native videos) should monitor the Video tab.

The News filter only applies to sites indexed in Google News. Without that indexation, this filter stays empty — no magic there.

• The Performance report shows only the Web tab by default
• Image, Video, and News data requires manual filtering
• Each search type has its own performance metrics
• Ignoring these filters means missing traffic opportunities

Is this feature really being used by SEO professionals?

Let's be honest: many practitioners stick with the default Web view. That's unfortunate, because some sites pull 30-40% of their organic traffic from Image or Video tabs — without even knowing it.

The issue? Google doesn't highlight these filters. No notifications, no alerts when content performs elsewhere. Result: optimization opportunities slip under the radar.

Are the metrics from different tabs always reliable?

The numbers are generally consistent, but watch out: the average CTR in Image isn't comparable to Web results. A 2% CTR in Image results can be excellent, while it would be poor in standard Web results.

[Worth verifying]: Google doesn't clearly document how certain hybrid impressions (featured snippets with images, video carousels in Web SERPs) are counted. When a video appears in both Web results and the Video tab, is the impression duplicated? The ambiguity persists.

In which cases do these filters deliver real added value?

For an e-commerce site with a large visual catalog, the Image filter often reveals long-tail queries overlooked in standard Web analysis. Same goes for video publishers: some videos explode in the Video tab without generating significant Web traffic.

However, for a purely text-based site (corporate blog, institutional website), these filters remain empty. No content equals no data. That's logical.

What should you actually do to leverage this data?

Start by auditing each search type in Search Console. Filter on Image: which visual assets generate impressions? What keywords trigger your images? Apply the same logic to Video and News.

Next, cross-reference these metrics with your business goals. If the Image tab generates 20% of your impressions but 5% of your clicks, that's a signal: your images are visible but not compelling enough (or poorly optimized for click-throughs).

What priority optimizations follow from this?

For Image: review your alt tags, filenames, ImageObject structured data, and image relevance to queries. Low Image CTR might simply point to uninspiring thumbnails.

For Video: ensure your videos are properly tagged (VideoObject schema, transcripts, chapters), and that the thumbnail shown in SERPs compels clicks.

How do you weave these insights into your overall SEO strategy?

Build a dedicated dashboard that aggregates Web + Image + Video performance. Compare month-to-month trends. Pinpoint content that excels exclusively in one tab: these are candidates for cross-promotion (for example, a video crushing it in the Video tab could get better visibility in your Web articles).

• Filter each search type in Search Console at least once monthly
• Identify queries and content specific to each tab
• Optimize tags, metadata, and structured data by content type
• Compare CTR and positions across different tabs
• Cross-check these findings with Analytics to measure real traffic contribution