Google Search Console recently experienced a reporting error that impacted the product snippets reporting feature. The issue, which occurred between May 15 and May 27, 2024, resulted in an increase in clicks and impressions for the Product snippet search appearance type within the search performance report and impressions overlay in the product snippet rich result report.
Fortunately, this was merely a reporting issue and had no impact on actual Google Search rankings. The abnormal spike in impressions and clicks for product snippets raised some concerns among users, but Google’s John Mueller confirmed that it was unrelated to AI Overviews. Mueller stated that the Google team is investigating the details of the bug and plans to add an annotation in Search Console once it is fixed.
Google later released an update acknowledging the logging error that affected Search Console reporting for product snippets. The company specified that the issue was limited to the period between May 15 and May 27, 2024. During this time frame, users may have noticed an increase in clicks and impressions for the Product snippet search appearance type in the performance report and impressions overlay in the product snippet rich result report. It is important to note that this was a logging issue and did not reflect any actual changes in clicks or impressions.
To provide a visual representation of the spike in reporting, a screenshot was shared showing the unusual data presented during the affected period.
While this reporting glitch may have caused confusion for users, it is essential to understand that it was purely a technical error. The data within the specified date range should be disregarded for both client and internal reporting purposes.
In conclusion, Google’s recent reporting error in Search Console for product snippets caused a temporary increase in clicks and impressions. The bug was promptly identified and acknowledged by Google, and efforts are being made to rectify the issue. Users are advised to disregard the affected data during the specified period and continue monitoring their search performance using accurate and reliable metrics.
