The Big Picture for Google Shopping

Google recently announced a dramatic change to its product search offering – free product listings will now be featured in google shopping

Beginning next week, users will be able to browse a mix of both paid and free product listings for the first time in Google Shopping’s 8-year history. Most analysts think this is an effort by Google to compete with Amazon’s dominant hold on the online retail industry. 

What will Google’s new shopping feed look like?

The new Google Shopping tab will, in many ways, mimic the main search results tab – with paid shopping ads appearing at the top and bottom of the page. These ads will be denoted as such.

The new free listings will be powered through product data feeds directly uploaded to Google Merchant Center – much like the method Amazon uses. Google Merchant Center is currently open and free to all retailers. 

Google has already leveraged personalization technology to create a shopping homepage that is based on user interests and past purchases and has a price-tracking feature that can alert customers to potential savings. For all intents and purposes, it is already set up to rival amazon in terms of user experience. 

What does this mean for you?

  • If you haven’t already, it’s highly advisable to open a google merchant account. The steps to get your products listed organically are as follows:
    • Open your google merchant account
    • Upload a product feed
    • Opt in to ‘surfaces across google’
  • Google has stated that it will streamline the merchant center onboarding process over the coming weeks for new retailers
  • Google Shopping now presents another customer touchpoint, one that has the potential to rival Amazon in terms of popularity. Getting ahead of the competition here could be an invaluable opportunity for your business.
  • This update is directly aligned with Direct Agent’s strategic approach to site optimization and we’re here to guide you through the process of getting your products listed on the new shopping feed.

— Sam Frenzel, Senior SEO Analyst at Direct Agents

If you have any questions – or would like to learn more, please reach out to [email protected]