How Google’s Structured Data Update Can Increase Your eCommerce Sales

Integrating Google’s structured data into your product pages can significantly enhance the way your products appear in Google Search results, including Google Images and Google Lens. This enhanced visibility allows potential customers to see crucial details such as price, availability, review ratings, and shipping information right in the search results, ultimately driving more traffic and boosting sales.

Deciding Which Markup to Use

When implementing structured data, it’s essential to choose the right type of markup for your needs. Google offers two main classes of product structured data:

Product Snippets

Suitable for product pages where users cannot directly purchase the product. This markup provides options for specifying detailed review information, including pros and cons, making it ideal for editorial product

Merchant Listings

Designed for pages where customers can purchase products directly. This markup offers options for specifying detailed product information, such as apparel sizing, shipping details, and return policy information.

There is some overlap between these two types of structured data. Adding the required properties for merchant listings can make your product pages eligible for product snippets as well. Both types have their own enhancements, so reviewing both options and adding as many properties as possible can increase your page’s eligibility for various enhancements.

Shopping Experiences in Google Search Results

Google Search constantly evolves to provide better ways for people to find what they’re looking for, and this includes various shopping experiences. Here’s how your products might appear in search results:

Product Snippet

Text results that include additional product information such as ratings, review details, price, and availability.

Popular Products

A visually rich presentation of products for sale, which can capture user attention more effectively.

Shopping Knowledge Panel

Displays detailed product information along with a list of sellers, using product identifiers.

Google Images

Annotated images of products available for sale, making them more appealing and informative in image search results.

Result Enhancements

Enhancements to search results are determined by each experience and may change over time. Therefore, providing as much rich product information as possible is recommended. Examples of potential enhancements include:

• Ratings: Include customer reviews and ratings to improve the appearance of your search result.
• Pros and Cons: Highlight the pros and cons in your product review descriptions to make them stand out in search results.
• Shipping: Share shipping costs, especially if offering free shipping, to inform shoppers of the total cost.
• Availability: Provide availability data to indicate when a product is in stock.
• Price Drop: Google can highlight price drops by observing price changes over time, although this is not guaranteed.
• Returns: Include return policy information, such as fees and the number of days allowed for returns.

Providing Product Data to Google Search

To maximize the visibility and effectiveness of your product listings, you can add structured data to your web pages, upload data feeds to Google Merchant Center, or both. Combining structured data on web pages with a Merchant Center feed increases your eligibility for various search experiences and helps Google accurately understand and verify your data.

Some search experiences use data from both structured data and Merchant Center feeds. For instance, if pricing data is missing from the structured data on a page, Google might use the pricing information from your Merchant Center feed.

Conclusion

Google’s structured data update offers a substantial opportunity for merchants to enhance their product listings and boost sales. By implementing the appropriate structured data and regularly updating it, businesses can improve their search result visibility, attract more customers, and drive more sales. Staying updated with these advancements is essential for maintaining a competitive edge in the e-commerce landscape.