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Google is rapidly adapting its search results to present products in a more visually appealing way, similar to marketplaces like Amazon. This new format, known as the Product Grid, is transforming the competitive landscape for retailers in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
This interactive display is pushing traditional, static results into the background, leading to a drop in traffic for many retailers.
In 2024, Google introduced Merchant Listings for organic (unpaid) results, which has significantly impacted how products now rank in SERPs.
Instead of the usual blue links, Google displays up to 64 products per page, powered by the Google Shopping Graph, which manages data from over 35 billion products. This means retailers need to optimize their products for both traditional search results and this new, visual display.
If your product does not appear in these Merchant Listings, you lose valuable visibility. Research shows that 60-90% of users click on the top results in a product grid, especially during non-branded searches.
Paid ads, like Product Listing Ads (PLAs), have been common among paid marketers. But as merchant data increasingly appears in organic search results, it has become crucial for SEO specialists to integrate these tools into their strategies as well. This involves working with structured data and ensuring product feeds are always up-to-date, with accurate prices, precise titles, and alignment with user intent.
Local inventory information is also becoming more important. Google is increasingly determining whether searches have local intent, and products that are available locally are given priority.
Imagine you search for power drills. Instead of a long list of links, you now see a grid of products, with each product showing images, prices, and availability in local stores. For users, this means they can find what they’re looking for faster.
For retailers, however, it signals the need to meticulously manage their product feeds and data to remain visible in these top results.
The future of digital marketing lies in a combination of organic and paid search strategies, with product data playing an increasingly crucial role. This shift underscores the need for paid marketers and SEO specialists to collaborate closely.
Retailers must offer competitive pricing, use structured data, and continuously optimize their product feeds. AI tools can assist in optimizing product titles and keywords, which can enhance visibility and click-through rates (CTR).
If your products do not appear in Merchant Listings, this could result in a significant loss of traffic and revenue. Competition for these coveted spots will only grow, making adaptation to this new ecosystem essential.
Google’s evolution from e-commerce SERPs to interactive Product Grids represents a major shift in digital marketing. Retailers must now devote as much attention to their organic search results as they do to paid ads to maintain visibility. This means product feeds, accurate pricing, and structured data are integral to every SEO strategy.
By focusing on these elements, retailers can continue to benefit from the opportunities that Merchant Listings provide.
Director Organic Marketing EMEA
