November 18, 2024
When you look at the search results, it’s immediately noticeable: a product block that stands out without the familiar “Ad” label. Products that used to be exclusively in the “shopping” section now appear in the regular SERP. With this shift—coupled with the introduction of AI Overviews—Google seems to send a clear message: the search giant wants users to find what they’re looking for directly, without navigating through category pages. Could this mark the beginning of an era where category pages become obsolete? Let’s dive into the world of Google Organic Shopping and discover what this change really means.
Introduction: What Is Google Organic Shopping?
Although Google Organic Shopping seems like a relatively new feature within the SERP, the first mentions of the organic product carousel date back to 2019. Since 2022, this feature has been continuously developed, making "shopping" and online ordering more accessible for visitors. By September 2024, product results began integrating into AI overviews.
Unlike Google Shopping Ads, which are paid advertisements displayed based on bids, Google Organic Shopping offers the opportunity to showcase products in organic product blocks without advertising costs. This means e-commerce businesses can benefit from extra visibility without spending money.
How Does Google Organic Shopping Work?
To take advantage of free listings, you must upload a product feed to Google Merchant Center. This feed contains all product information and is used to share data directly with Google. By continuously updating this product feed, product details like price and stock remain current, eliminating the need to wait for Google to recrawl your site. This ensures the information Google displays is as relevant as possible for customers.
Structured data also plays a vital role in appearing in Organic Shopping results. Adding structured data to product pages—such as product name, price, availability, reviews, and images—makes it easier for Google to read and understand. Proper configuration of both Google Merchant Center and structured data ensures Google comprehends your product information, increasing your chances of being displayed in relevant Organic Shopping results.
Structured Data and Schema.org
Structured data organizes information on a webpage, enabling search engines like Google to easily interpret it without extracting it from the text or HTML. This is crucial for e-commerce websites aiming to stand out in a competitive market.
Schema.org and the Benefits of Structured Data
Schema.org offers a collection of schemas for structured data markup, representing products, businesses, and other entities. Product markup is particularly relevant for e-commerce as it helps search engines index and categorize product information. Consistency across the product feed, structured data, and website is essential to ensure accurate and reliable information, improving user experience and increasing the likelihood of appearances in Organic Shopping.
The Rise of Organic Shopping and Its Impact on CTR
Google is constantly optimizing the search experience, leading to a growing emphasis on displaying products directly in the SERP. Recently, Organic Shopping has gained prominence in the e-commerce world. According to Johannes Beus, CEO of Sistrix, Organic Shopping results appear for 10% of keywords.
The addition of Organic Shopping in the SERP could significantly impact e-commerce in Google. Regular search results are pushed further down the page, causing their CTR (click-through rate) to drop drastically. The number of clicks on regular organic results is cut in half. For instance, a SERP without Organic Shopping has a 21% CTR for the first position, but this drops to 9.5% when Organic Shopping is present.
What Does Google Say About These "Free Listings"?
Google provides its perspective on Organic Shopping, also referred to as free listings:
“A specific way to showcase your products for free is through free listings, which provide detailed information about your products for shoppers to explore. If your products qualify for free listings, they may appear in various places on Google, such as search results, images, Google Lens, YouTube, the Shopping tab, and the product module on the Business Profile.”
In short, if your website is well-optimized and your products qualify, you can rank in "free listings" without incurring costs.
Optimizing for Google Organic Shopping
For maximum visibility in Google Organic Shopping, focus on these critical aspects:
- Validate Product Markup: Ensure all structured data on product pages is complete and correct. Use tools like the Rich Results Test and the Products Report in Google Search Console to verify implementation.
- Optimize Product Titles and Descriptions: Relevant keywords and synonyms in product titles and descriptions help your products rank higher in search results. Missing or inconsistent titles and descriptions can prevent Google from displaying your products.
- Keep Merchant Center Data Up-to-Date: Maintain accurate product information, such as prices and stock levels, in Google Merchant Center and ensure consistency with your website.
- Leverage Product Reviews: Reviews can differentiate your products when multiple retailers offer the same item. Retailers with more positive or higher-rated reviews often rank better in Organic Shopping.
The Future of Organic Shopping in Europe
As usual, Google leads the way in the U.S., where it is experimenting with search results structured like category pages for specific e-commerce queries. This allows users to refine their searches directly in the SERP using filters for variables like price, dimensions, and reviews, offering an alternative to traditional e-commerce category pages.
Competing with Marketplaces
With this new setup, Google directly competes with major online marketplaces like Amazon, Zalando, and Etsy. By displaying detailed product overviews in search results, Google encourages users to stay within its ecosystem, making Organic Shopping increasingly important.
Google Search Console and Merchant Listings
Google Search Console now includes a "Merchant Listings" filter, providing detailed insights into the performance of product listings, from impressions to clicks. This is invaluable for businesses looking to optimize their presence in Google’s product grids and knowledge panels.
Conclusion
Organic Shopping is here to stay, and Google is heavily investing in it. The decline in CTR for regular organic results is matched by a rise in clicks on Organic Shopping.
For e-commerce businesses, it’s crucial to optimize Google Merchant Center and structured data. Consistent and up-to-date product information—along with optimized titles, descriptions, and images—ensures better visibility in Organic Shopping, leading to higher product exposure.
Team Lead SEO & Content
Guido Stoop is the Team Lead for SEO & Content at Seeders Zwolle. With a strong background in digital marketing and a passion for helping businesses grow online, Guido leads a team of experts to develop effective strategies for improving search engine rankings and creating engaging content. With a keen eye for detail and a commitment to delivering results, Guido is dedicated to helping clients achieve their online marketing goals.
