What is Google Shopping?
Google Shopping covers the way products are displayed on Google. Anyone looking for a product sees offers with a photo, price and shop and reaches the shop’s website with a click. The sale still takes place in the shop, and Google sends the visitors there.
In practice the term refers both to the surface, meaning the Shopping tab and the product boxes in the search results, and to the Shopping ads format in Google Ads. Google Shopping is also the name of a comparison shopping service, which is covered below.
The Shopping tab
The Shopping tab is a separate tab in Google Search, next to “All” or “Images”. It shows only products and can also be reached at google.com/shopping. Paid ads and free listings appear side by side. A click leads to the shop’s website.
Can you buy directly on Google Shopping?
In Germany, you generally buy in the shop the click leads to. According to Google, purchases from participating US retailers should also be possible directly in AI Mode and Gemini through a new checkout. Google has announced further countries, but as of November 2026 we have not seen it name Germany.
Who is Google Shopping worthwhile for?
According to Google, users see the image, price and shop before they click. This helps them narrow down the choice, and one person can see several of your products as well as a text ad. Whether it pays off for you depends on these points:
- Tangible products: Google Shopping is designed for physical goods. According to Google, services and some product groups such as vehicles or financial products are not permitted.
- Suitable prices: your price appears right next to your competitors’. If yours is much higher, the image, title or shop details need to justify it.
- Enough margin per sale: your margin determines the cost per click you can afford. The sample calculation below shows how.
- Well-maintained product data: without a complete feed, products do not appear or appear for unsuitable searches.
Shopping ads and free listings
| Feature | Shopping ads | Free listings |
|---|---|---|
| Costs | Payment per click | No click costs |
| Setup | Merchant Center and a Google Ads campaign | Merchant Center, on by default for new accounts |
| Surfaces | Shopping tab, next to the search results, Google Images | Shopping tab, Google Search, Google Images and Lens, YouTube in some countries |
| Control | Budget, bids and campaign structure | No bids, Google decides what is shown |
According to Google Ads Help, Shopping ads show a photo, the title, the price and the shop name. They are served on the basis of product data. You do not buy keywords for them, as Google matches the products to relevant searches.
Free listings require you to follow the policies and publish a return policy on your website and in Merchant Center. According to Google, shipping information is also required in Germany. Google does not guarantee that free listings will appear. Products can also stand out in Google Search through structured data on your product page. See schema and structured data for more.
Signing up for Google Shopping: how listings and ads are created
There is no separate sign-up for Google Shopping. You sign up for Merchant Center. Free listings only need the first two steps, while ads need all four.
- Set up Merchant Center: You create an account in Google Merchant Center and verify your shop.
- Provide product data: The feed lists your products with attributes such as title, link, image link, price and availability, plus the GTIN where one exists. Our page on feed optimisation covers how titles and data are maintained.
- Link the accounts: You connect Merchant Center to Google Ads.
- Create a campaign: In Google Ads, you create a Standard Shopping campaign or a Performance Max campaign. Standard Shopping runs in the Shopping areas of Search and in Google Images. Performance Max also uses further channels.
Google checks the products in Merchant Center before they appear. Rejected products and account issues are also shown there.
Standard Shopping or Performance Max?
| Feature | Standard Shopping | Performance Max |
|---|---|---|
| Surfaces | Shopping tab, next to the search results, Google Images | Also the Display Network, YouTube, Gmail and Google Maps, among others |
| Bidding | Also manual CPC, Maximise clicks and Target ROAS | Only automated strategies for conversions or conversion value |
| Suits | Full control over product groups and bids, starting with little conversion data | Reach across all channels with reliable conversion tracking |
Both types use the same product data. Google recommends testing a switch in an experiment against the existing campaign. Details of the campaign type are covered under Performance Max.
Why products do not appear
Merchant Center Help names these reasons, among others:
- Price or availability differ between the feed and the product page.
- The GTIN or brand is missing, invalid or inconsistent.
- Images are placeholders, too small or carry promotions and text.
- The website does not state returns or shipping clearly.
- The account has received a warning or is suspended for a policy violation.
Our article on Google Merchant Center explains how to find and fix these errors.
Comparison shopping services (CSS)
In Germany and a number of other European countries, Shopping ads run through a comparison shopping service, or CSS for short. The service places bids on behalf of retailers. According to Google, retailers in these countries must work with at least one CSS to place Shopping ads or free listings. You can use several.
Google Shopping is itself one of these services. The services differ in specialisation, offering and pricing. The ad shows “By” followed by the name of the CSS. Which CSS you use is a separate question from who manages your campaigns.
What Google Shopping costs
Merchant Center is free, and so are the listings. You only pay for ads. The cost-per-click model applies, so you pay when someone clicks on the ad and reaches your landing page.
The price of a click depends on the bid, competition and product data. There is no fixed price list. You set the budget yourself. As a CSS, Google Shopping generally charges per click and deducts a margin from the bid, which is included in the click price. Other services choose their billing model freely. Our article on Google Ads costs gives the background and the calculation. ROAS shows whether the spend pays off.
Sample calculation: how much can a click cost?
The values are freely chosen and are not benchmarks. Use your own:
| Figure | Example |
|---|---|
| Average basket | €80 |
| Margin before advertising costs | 30%, or €24 per sale |
| Conversion rate in the shop | 2%, or 1 sale per 50 clicks |
| Highest cost per click without a loss | €24 / 50 clicks = €0.48 |
If a click costs more on average, you lose money on every sale unless you factor in repeat purchases.
