In the longtime battle between internet giants Google and Amazon, each has established themselves as leaders in particular areas, and have been overshadowed in others. It’s no doubt that between the two, Amazon is the kingpin of eCommerce. But, Google is far from giving up on the title completely. Surfaces Across Google is the latest of many plays by Google to leverage its platform for more eCommerce use. Being free for sellers, it has a leg up on Amazon.
In early 2019, when Google announced that it would begin showing Merchant Center products on ‘surfaces’ other than Shopping Ads, the details were murky. But with the January announcement of Surface Across Google, the opportunity is now clear. Merchant Center users can upload relevant product data and enable their products to appear in unpaid (non-ads) product results. These are placed across multiple Google entities including Shopping, Images, Search, and Lens.
Now, the search results on the Google Shopping tab consist primarily of free listings. This gives everyone a fair shake at being noticed. Marketers can augment paid campaigns with these free listings, resulting in rich, organic search results. Your audience will see more products from more stores, discoverable through the Google Shopping Tab, so you will want to use all the tools available to be front and center.
What does Surfaces Across Google mean for marketers and brands? Simply, it’s FREE Google Shopping listings on the organic Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). You can set it up yourself or get out team to help - just ask!
Now, retailers have even more ways to enable their products to be found on Google.
If you already have a product data feed set up in Merchant Center, opt into the Surfaces Across Google Program right now. You’ll get free, qualified traffic!
For those brands that haven’t taken the plunge into Google’s paid offerings, this feature is huge. Now, there’s a massive incentive to create a Merchant Center account and product feed, even if you don’t plan on running paid ads. If you’re willing to go through this administrative trouble, Google is willing to display your eligible products, to a whole new segment of potential customers, free of charge. After all, it’s a win-win; for Google, having as many eligible products as possible means a better customer experience.
Do you think that sounds like a pretty great deal? Well, if you’re an apparel and accessories retailer, the offer is even sweeter. For retailers in these categories, an additional placement opportunity is available on the web and image SERPs. A Popular Products section features apparel products right in the middle of the page — talk about prime real estate, for free!
To become eligible, participating merchants must upload a complete product data feed to Google Merchant Center or implement detailed markup on each product page. We find that the most effective way to make your products eligible is to set up a product feed in Google Merchant Center.
Additional eligibility requirements to consider include:
When a giant throws you a bone, it’s the ones who jump first that will get the most meat. With Surfaces Across Google. Even small retailers who have never used paid ads on Google can eat like kings, successfully leveraging this new, free traffic source.
Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed, standing by while the bone is picked clean. Tap into this new customer acquisition channel now. We'll of course be here to help, just reach out.
What I have is a malevolent curiosity - I do tend to take a different perspective.
