Google's popular products feature reshapes e-commerce SEO landscape

Google's Popular Products feature is emerging as a game-changer for e-commerce businesses. Recent data analysis from seoClarity, a SEO platform, sheds light on the growing influence of this search engine results page (SERP) feature and its implications for online retailers.

Popular Products Feature

Introduced by Google in January 2020, the Popular Products feature has steadily gained prominence in search results. According to seoClarity's Research Grid, which analyzed over 500 million search queries between July 2022 and June 2024, the feature appeared in more than 48 million mobile searches and nearly 58 million desktop searches during this period.

Rebecca Brosnan, SEO content writer at seoClarity, stated, "Our data shows a clear trend: the Popular Products feature is becoming increasingly prevalent in Google's search results, with a year-over-year increase of approximately 65% across both desktop and mobile platforms."

The analysis revealed that desktop queries triggered the Popular Products feature about 19% more often than mobile searches. More strikingly, for mobile searches, the feature's appearance in the top 3 rank positions surged by 151% year-over-year.

Not all industries are affected equally by this SERP feature. The seoClarity study identified sectors where the Popular Products feature appears most frequently:

1. Business and Industrial: 15.29%
2. Home and Garden: 14.29%
3. Apparel: 11.38%
4. Hobbies and Leisure: 10.28%

These figures suggest that companies operating within these sectors have the most to gain—or lose—from the prominence of the Popular Products feature.

Optimizing for Popular Products

As the importance of this feature grows, e-commerce businesses are seeking ways to optimize their product listings. SEO experts recommend several strategies:

1. Google Merchant Center Integration: Uploading accurate and comprehensive product feeds to Google Merchant Center is crucial. "This allows Google to pull detailed product information directly into the SERPs," explains Brosnan.
2. Structured Data Implementation: Utilizing schema markup, particularly Product schema, helps Google understand and accurately display product data in the SERP feature.
3. High-Quality Imagery: Clear, high-resolution product images are essential for attracting user attention in product listings.
4. Competitive Pricing: Ensuring prices are competitive and clearly displayed can improve the chances of being featured.
5. Customer Reviews: Positive reviews significantly enhance a product's appeal in search results.
6. Optimized Product Titles and Descriptions: Crafting compelling, keyword-rich titles and descriptions improves relevance to potential search queries.

Implications for e-commerce SEO

The rising prominence of the Popular Products feature represents both an opportunity and a challenge for online retailers. While it offers increased visibility for featured products, it also intensifies competition for this prime SERP real estate.

"This feature is reshaping the e-commerce SEO landscape," Brosnan notes. "Businesses that adapt their strategies to optimize for Popular Products have the potential to significantly boost their visibility and drive more traffic to their products."

As Google continues to evolve its search features, the Popular Products SERP element is likely to play an increasingly important role in e-commerce visibility. Businesses and SEO professionals will need to stay informed about these developments and adjust their strategies accordingly.

The data from seoClarity's Research Grid provides valuable insights into current trends, but the digital landscape is ever-changing. Ongoing analysis and adaptation will be key for e-commerce businesses looking to maintain and improve their search visibility in the face of these SERP innovations.

Key Takeaways

• The Popular Products SERP feature appears in millions of searches monthly, with higher frequency on desktop compared to mobile.
• Its prevalence has increased by approximately 65% year-over-year, indicating growing importance for e-commerce visibility.
• Industries most impacted include Business and Industrial, Home and Garden, Apparel, and Hobbies and Leisure.
• Optimizing for the Popular Products feature involves uploading accurate product feeds, implementing structured data, using high-quality images, maintaining competitive pricing, encouraging reviews, and crafting optimized product titles and descriptions.