PPC – Google showing product availability markup in image search results

Google is displaying the availability of products on image search results page. The feature was spotted by Hamburg-based digital marketing consultant Frank Sandtmann, who noticed the feature in English, German and Polish image search results.

Shoppable image search results. Powered by product Schema markup, the availability of products displayed in the image results is clearly denoted in green (for in-stock items) and red (for out-of-stock items). This can help users filter through results at a glance and makes image search more “shoppable.”

Price and description. When the user clicks on an image result with availability markup, the price, an excerpt of the description and, if structured data is available, the star reviews and brand info are shown.

Why we care. Displaying product availability prominently points to Google’s moves to make image search a destination for consumers looking for products by making image results more actionable for prospective shoppers.

For commerce marketers, image optimization becomes an even more important part of marketing for e-commerce brands if this rolls out. It’s another reason to to add structured data to your content.

About The Author

George Nguyen is an Associate Editor at Third Door Media. His background is in content marketing, journalism, and storytelling.