Last year Google rocked the ecommerce world when they announced that they were bringing back free listings on Google Shopping.
If you didn’t already know, Google shifted from free listings to a paid model in 2012. Although originally met with some frustration, users were fast to accept the new system as the quality of the platform quickly scaled because of the shift.
Fast-forward 8 years later and Google was in a position to once again open up the refined Google Shopping we’ve all come to know and love. The shift came at a pivotal time in 2020 when much of the world had come to realize the true value of online shopping.
And guess what? Free listings are here to stay.
That’s right. The world’s most popular shopping engine is free to be a part of.
If you sell products online, you want to make sure your products are listed on Google Shopping. Huge benefit, no gimmicks, no catch.
Your customers are already searching onGoogle
It should come as no surprise that a lot of people use Google. The company actually controls more than 92% of the search engine market share worldwide.
That’s a lot of searching for answers, references… products.
At least 35% of product searches begin on Google. And once embarked on a product journey, people tend to make a purchase through Google in 5 days or less.
How to get free Google Shopping listings
Just as Google is the first place people go to when looking for products, it should also be the first place you go to list your products. After all, listing your products on Google is free.
All you need is access to Google Merchant Center and a product feed.
If you’re looking to get your products onto Google, check out this blog post where we go into what you need to know.
If you already use Merchant Center and your products are already opted into free listings then you’re good to go.
If you’re an existing user that has not opted in or you’re just not sure:
- Sign in to Merchant Center
- Go to Products > Feeds
- Select your feed
- Go to Settings
- Under Destinations, look for Free listings
Make sure that option is checked off. That’s it.
Seriously, it’s that easy.
For tips on optimizing your free Google Shopping listings, check out this blog post.
Grow reach with promoted listings
As great as free listings on Google are, that’s only the first step.
If you see the value Google has to offer your brand, you might want to look into the rest of what Google for Retail has to offer.
Google has seven distinct solutions for building your brand’s online presence and getting your customers down the funnel. This includes customers who may have never heard of your brand, as well as making the most of previous interactions and conversions.
Buy on Google cuts out the middleman and simplifies the checkout experience.
Smart Shopping campaign ads are displayed across a variety of Google surfaces, including the YouTube Up Next Manufacturer Centerfeed.
Manufacturer Center augments official product details with manufacturer-specific product data in SERPs.
Discovery Ads are visually rich and mobile first ads that harness the “power of intent.”
Local Inventory Ads highlight locally available products in multiple ways, including Google Search, Google Maps, and Google Home voice assistants.
Dominate your vertical with Google and GoDataFeed
Google for Retail is a force multiplier for ecommerce companies across every industry. Check out this blog post where we discuss each of these solutions in much greater detail.
If you need help getting your products into and optimized for Google for Retail, contact us. We can show you how to get set up via GoDataFeed and Merchant Center.
