Ecommerce SEO has fundamentally changed on a global scale in recent years with the rise of organic product grids as a SERP feature.
Previously, the focus was primarily on ranking PLPs (Product Listing Pages) for high volume non-branded queries. While this is still an integral part of success within Search, becoming visible for these queries has been dispersed with the introduction of free listings appearing within the main results section.
This situation has been further complicated with the recent rollout of more specialised types of free listings: Deals On, In Stores Nearby, Fast Pickup or Delivery, More Products, and the standard Popular Products grid. With each free listing grid types having specialised criteria for having your store appear within the grid.
Analysis based on 3,049 eCommerce product queries
Using Nozzle rank tracking, I was able to gain access to a dataset that I’ve been interested in for over a year now, giving me the ability to develop segments for the different free product listing grid types.
The dataset is based on 3,049 eCommerce queries within a product segment in the United States on desktop. I also have access to some mobile data which I can also pick apart if there is additional interest in the differences here.
Each of the datasets for the distinct features involves the ability for us to see how often they appear within the top 100 search results, along with which ranking position the feature appears most frequently in. Here’s what the overall comparison data looks like when comparing each product grid type over the past 12 months.
‘Deals On’ Free Listings Grid – 13.99%
The Deals On grid appeared in the least amount of search results out of the 5 specialised product grids at 13.99% on desktop in the US. The peak for the Deals On grid happened in November of 2024 and has remained relatively stable since the initial rollout.
The Deals On grid often appears lower down on page 1 of Google’s search results on desktop, with the most common ranking position being between positions 7-10. To rank within the Deals On grid, it requires your products to decrease in price within a sale period in order to become eligible.
Key Takeaways:
- How often they appear: 13.99% on desktop in the US.
- Most common ranking position: between results 7-10.
- Criteria for inclusion: a decrease in product pricing.
‘In Stores Nearby’ Free Listings Grid – 14.73%
The In Stores Nearby grid (which mostly shows as a carousel) appeared in fourth place based on frequency of the product grid at 14.73% on desktop in the US. The peak for the In Stores Nearby grid happened in December of 2024 with a more noticeable decline over time based on the dataset.
The In Stores Nearby carousel often appears slightly higher on page 1 of Google’s search results on desktop compared to Deals On, with the most common ranking position being between positions 4-6. To rank within the In Stores Nearby carousel, it requires stores to have physical locations and to have a local inventory feed in place, with the feature being categorised as free local listings.
An important aspect to highlight for the In Stores Nearby Grid is that because it appears within a carousel on desktop, with only 4-5 products appearing by default within view, it takes up less space in Google’s search results. There are however more products hidden when scrolling across within the carousel, and it can appear more often or less depending on the physical location of the searcher. For instance, an In Stores Nearby carousel takes up 1.45% of the top 100 results on the SERP, compared to Deals On (the standard grid sizing) which takes up 2.64% of the SERP.
Key Takeaways:
- How often they appear: 14.73% on desktop in the US.
- Most common ranking position: between results 4-6.
- Criteria for inclusion: when using a local inventory feed.
‘Fast Pickup or Delivery’ Free Listings Grid – 26.17%
The Fast Pickup or Delivery grid appears in third place based on frequency of the product grids at 26.17% on desktop in the US. The peak for the Fast Pickup or Delivery grid happened in December of 2024 with a more noticeable dip that occurred throughout that same month of December which then bounced back based on the dataset.
The Fast Pickup or Delivery grid often appears in a similar spot on page 1 to the In Stores Nearby carousel in Google’s search results on desktop, with the most common ranking position being between positions 4-6. To rank within the Fast Pickup or Delivery grid, it requires stores to have fast pickup or delivery times in comparison to other stores within that niche. This is also key information that contributes to achieving the Top Quality Store badging within search results.
It is also worth noting that based on the dataset over the past 12 months, the Fast Pickup or Delivery product grid has been showing in Google’s search results longer than the others. Deals On and In Stores Nearby only appeared more recently, whereas Fast Pickup or Delivery started ramping up at a similar time but has been appearing for a longer duration.
Key Takeaways:
- How often they appear: 26.17% on desktop in the US.
- Most common ranking position: between results 4-6.
- Criteria for inclusion: when stores have competitive pickup or delivery metrics.
‘More Products’ Free Listings Grid – 64.74%
The More Products grid appears in second place based on frequency of the product grids at 64.74% on desktop in the US. The peak for the More Products grid also happened in December of 2024 and has been much more stable in its appearance compared to the other grid types based on the dataset.
The More Products grid often appears at the very bottom of the 1st page of Google, with the most common ranking position being between positions 7-10. To rank within the More Products grid, it mostly requires query relevance without any specific attribute that will assist with gaining placement. This is the most general grid type of all, with there likely being some popularity metrics that are considered for the placement.
Key Takeaways:
- How often they appear: 64.74% on desktop in the US.
- Most common ranking position: between results 7-10.
- Criteria for inclusion: a mixed set of product attributes.
‘Popular Products’ Free Listings Grid – 81.37%
The Popular Products grid appears in first place based on frequency of the product grids at 81.37% on desktop in the US. The peak for the Popular Products grid happened in November of 2024 and has been the most flat in its appearance since this date out of all grid types based on the dataset.
The Popular Products grid often appears much differently to the other grid types, with it most frequently appearing in position 1 by far out of all positions. To rank within the Popular Products grid, it is the most prominent grid placement of all and requires the product to be categorised as being a popular product to customers. Because the Popular Products grid appears in the top spot, it should be considered as the most valuable ranking real estate out of any grid placement.
Key Takeaways:
- How often they appear: 81.37% on desktop in the US.
- Most common ranking position: in position 1.
- Criteria for inclusion: products that are considered to be popular.
Findings Summary
As a summary of findings from the free listing grid types research, here are some of the primary takeaways that are helpful to keep in mind for eCommerce stores:
- Types: there are 5 different types of Google free listing grids that can appear: Deals On, In Stores Nearby, Fast Pickup or Delivery, More Products, and Popular Products.
- Appearance: based on placement in US eCommerce desktop search results, Deals On appears 13.99% of the time, In Stores Nearby appears 14.73% of the time, Fast Pickup or Delivery appears 26.17% of the time, More Products appears 64.74% of the time, and Popular Products appears 81.37% of the time.
- Positions: based on the most common ranking position of each, Deals On appears in positions 7-10, In Stores Nearby appears in positions 4-6, Fast Pickup or Delivery appears in positions 4-6, More Products appears in positions 7-10, and Popular Products appears in position 1.
- Takeaways: a helpful outcome of this research is that it assists with justify resources for optimising for free listings for eCommerce stores. With how common these features appear, it is likely that stores are missing out on valuable traffic that they are neglecting within this channel. This is especially true when interpreting how often the Popular Products grid appears in the top position on Google, along with how the In Stores Nearby carousel can appear when a searcher is within a close distance to a physical store.
A big thank you to the team at Nozzle, especially Boyd Norwood, who were extremely helpful at assisting with setting up the segments within the Nozzle rank tracking dashboard and for assisting with the results interpretation. This was the first time I had used Nozzle’s rank tracking features and I was extremely impressed with the reporting capabilities they had on offer.
