Free product listings infographic: six places free listings appear, two routes in (Merchant Center feed and Product structured data), the seven required product attributes, other requirements, and three steps on what to do.

Oct 5, 2026

Free Google Shopping Listings: How to Get In (Infographic)

How to get products into Google's free listings: where they appear, Merchant Center feeds vs Product structured data, and the required product attributes.

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<a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/free-product-listings"><img src="https://searchinsider.io/research/free-product-listings/free-product-listings-infographic.png" alt="Free product listings infographic: six places free listings appear, two routes in (Merchant Center feed and Product structured data), the seven required product attributes, other requirements, and three steps on what to do." style="max-width:680px;width:100%;height:auto;" /></a><p>Source: <a href="https://searchinsider.io/infographics/free-product-listings">Free product listings infographic</a> by Search Insider.</p>

How do you get products into Google Shopping for free?

The short answer: Google shows products for free across Search, the Shopping tab, Images, Lens, YouTube and Maps. Get them in with a Merchant Center feed, Product structured data, or both. Being eligible doesn't guarantee your products are shown.

Based on Google Merchant Center Help and Google Search Central.

What it shows

Free listings can appear across Google Search, the Shopping tab, Images, Lens, YouTube and Maps.
Products can be shared through a Merchant Center feed, Product structured data, or both.
Required attributes include id, title, description, link, image_link, price and availability.
Free listings also require a return policy on your site and shipping settings.
Free listing status gives permission to show products but doesn't guarantee they'll appear.
Only pages where a shopper can buy a product are eligible for merchant listing experiences.

What to do

Feed: Submit a Merchant Center feed with every required attribute.
Pages: Add Product structured data in the initial HTML.
Accuracy: Keep price and availability identical on feed and page.

The walkthrough

What are Google free listings?

Free listings let products appear organically across Google Search, Shopping, Maps and more, alongside any paid ad campaigns ^[1]. Google says the free listings status gives permission to show products but doesn't guarantee they'll be shown ^[2].

Where do free product listings appear?

Across Google Search, the Shopping tab, Google Images, Lens, YouTube and Maps ^[1]^[2].

How do you get products into Google for free?

Google offers two routes: add structured data to your product pages, or upload a feed to Google Merchant Center ^[3]. Merchant Center gives more control over the timing of updates and lets you share data that isn't on your website ^[3].

Which product attributes are required?

Every product needs an id (up to 50 characters), title (up to 150), description (up to 5,000, without promotional text), link, image_link, price that matches the landing page, and availability ^[4]. Brand, GTIN, MPN and condition are required in some cases ^[4].

What else do free listings require?

Follow the free listings policies, include return policy information on your website, and set up shipping settings or costs ^[1].

What structured data do merchant listings need?

Product markup needs name, image and offers, and the Offer needs price (above zero) and priceCurrency ^[5]. Only pages where a shopper can purchase a product are eligible, and Google recommends putting Product structured data in the initial HTML ^[5].

Is Merchant Center Next still called that?

No. In 2026 Google dropped the Next name, and the platform is simply called Google Merchant Center, with no action needed ^[6].

Sources

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