Should You Submit to Google Product Search?

Sara Beaudoin is the Marketing Communications Manager for SearchPro Systems As you my have seen when performing a Google search of your own, Google has a “shopping” tab on the left hand side of each search results page. This tab is helpful for users who are searching for a particular item to purchase, whether it’s from a global site like Amazon.com or from a local business. Instead of returning a ranked list of web pages as search results, Shopping returns ranked products. Users will see an image of the product, a price, a description of the quality, and a detailed description of the product. From there, they have the option of refining their search to show only nearby results, and even ‘In stock nearby’ results! The obvious benefit to the user resides in the simplicity of finding a specific item, rather than finding a specific website that may or may not carry the item, then searching site by site. Furthermore, the user can compare prices and see product reviews if they choose to purchase the product online. If they are interested in purchasing the product from a local business, Google Product Search gives them this option in a very simple, user friendly way. When searching for specific items in Nashua, NH, Google Product Search will return many nearby results, however, the vast majority of them are chain stores such as WalMart, Target, Sears, etc. While this is probably just as convenient for the user, it’s not so ideal as a local business. Product Search ranks products based on relevance and a full, detailed description, so there’s no reason local businesses can’t see their products rank among or even above those of the well known chain stores. That then raises the question “How do I get my products on Google Product Search?” Fortunately, Google has provided a very helpful video that explains the details of Product Search, as well as how to submit your products.

The benefits to submitting your products to Product Search are obvious, but it will take some maintenance, as well as initial set up time. For some businesses, the initial set up could be as simple as uploading your current online store. Once uploaded, items will expire after 30 days, so frequent maintenance is critical. While participating in Google’s Product Search isn’t a necessary piece of SEO, it could, for some businesses be very beneficial and profitable, as participation is free. Before adding it to your SEO regimen, consider the time commitment and be sure you can commit to being fully engaged in a proper set up, as well as maintenance.