SEO tip: appearing on Google Shopping without paying is now possible.

Google Shopping is a Google service that allows users to search, compare and buy products offered by different sellers who have paid, through Google Ads, to be included in the service. This service connects merchants' products with consumers through searches on both Google and Google Shopping.

Users can view product images, read descriptions, compare prices and see reviews, as well as access the merchant's online shop to make a purchase. Google Shopping is displayed both in Google search results under the "Shopping" tab and in a product carousel at the top of the standard search results page.

For online shops, Google Shopping is a key marketing tool that allows them to show their products to consumers so that they can compare them with the products of other competitors. Sellers must use Google Merchant Center to upload their product listings, manage inventory. Advertising campaigns promoting products on Google Shopping are managed through Google Ads.

Eleven years after the launch of Google Shopping, Google opens its Shopping search results to organic ads, i.e. we can appear on Google Shopping without paying per click. This opens up a new organic positioning channel and new opportunities for online shops in terms of SEO. However, we must be aware that despite the possibility of listing products for free, paid ads generally have a higher visibility.

This decision is due to the threat posed by Amazon and other marketplaces such as Aliexpress or eBay. According to Statista, in Spain in 2022, 68% of Spanish online shoppers considered Amazon as their main source of information for buying products online, while Google accounted for only 32% of all product searches. Google wants to reverse this situation especially at a time when retailers are forced to enter the online market, due to shop closures and the decline of people accessing physical shops for fear of COVID.

Like normal Google searches, paid product ads for Shopping appear at the top and bottom of the page and labelled with the word ad, while organic Google Shopping results appear in the centre.

It is important to note that this will only happen when you enter the Google Shopping section, the product carousels on the main Google search page will still be exclusively paid ads.

How does it work?

Free ads can be loaded in the same way as paid ads via the Google Merchant Center. This means that businesses that already use Google Merchant Center will see their free organic results appear naturally in addition to their paid ads from now on.

For those businesses that do not advertise on Google Shopping, they will have to configure their Merchant Center to appear. It is advisable to do this through a Google Partner agency and, if possible, Google Partner Premier in order to do it correctly and get the most out of Google Shopping. Oh, and we also help you with your Amazon campaigns.