Google has released custom annotations for Search Console performance reports, allowing site owners to add dated notes directly to traffic charts. Announced on the Google Search Central blog in November 2025, the feature is available within performance reports for verified properties in Google Search Console.
Google Search Console custom annotations - key details
Custom annotations appear as markers on performance charts inside Search Console. Users can label specific dates with short notes that describe site changes or external events, directly on charts that show clicks, impressions, and related search performance metrics.
- Google introduced the feature through a Google Search Central blog post on custom chart annotations.
- Annotations are available from the context menu on performance charts by right-clicking and selecting "Add annotation".
- Each annotation is linked to a single date that users choose during creation.
- Notes can contain up to 120 characters of text, according to Google's announcement.
- Google cites use cases including infrastructure changes, SEO work, content updates, and external events such as holidays.
- Annotations are stored at the property level and are visible to every user who has access to that Search Console property.
- Because annotations are shared, Google advises users not to include sensitive personal information in annotation text.
Custom annotations follow existing property access controls, so anyone with access to a property will see the same annotations on its performance charts.
Background context and source citations
Google Search Console is a free service that helps site owners monitor and maintain their presence in Google Search results. It is linked to a Google account and organized around verified properties, which can represent entire domains or specific URL prefixes.
The performance report displays metrics such as clicks, impressions, average position, and click-through rate over time. Users can review these metrics across different date ranges and search types based on how pages appear and perform in Google Search.
Users can filter performance data by query, page, country, device type, and search appearance. These filters help isolate trends for specific sections of a site or particular markets. Export options allow data to be downloaded for external analysis.
Before custom annotations, performance reports did not allow users to create their own dated notes on charts. Records of site changes or campaigns had to be maintained outside the interface. The new feature places those notes inside the same charts that display search performance data.
Access to a Search Console property requires ownership verification using methods such as DNS records or HTML file uploads. Verified owners can grant access to additional users, who then share the same view of performance data and annotations.
Details about custom annotations come from Google's official Search Central documentation, including the November 2025 launch post.
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