In short. Google free product listings depend on policy compliance and accurate product data, with eligibility assessed in Merchant Center.

Definition: Google free product listings are product offers that can appear across Google at no cost. As of 17 October 2026, Google's Merchant Center documentation describes eligibility based on product data and policy requirements.

Key facts

Google's free listings documentation lists Search, Maps, Gemini and other surfaces where eligible products may appear; enabling free listings gives permission for display, without assuring placement.
Google's product data specification marks attributes as required, conditional or optional, depending on the product and target country.
Google's Shopping ads and listings policies cover prohibited products, restricted content and website standards.
Google's Merchant Center guidelines require an online store where customers can complete a purchase.

What makes a store eligible?

Google's Merchant Center guidelines require products available for direct purchase through the online store. Customers must be able to add products to a cart and complete checkout, with at least one conventional payment method. Contact information must be clearly available, and personal information such as credit card details must be collected securely.

The website must make its return and refund policy easy to find, including return conditions, the acceptance period and when customers can expect refunds. A store that offers no returns must state that policy explicitly. Google's Shopping policies prohibit counterfeit goods and allow account suspension for repeated or egregious violations.

Which product data is required?

The product data specification requires a unique id, a product title and description, a landing-page link, an image_link, a price and availability. It accepts title or structured_title, and description or structured_description; AI-written titles and descriptions use the corresponding structured attributes.

Attribute names and predefined values use English. The supported availability values are:

in_stock
out_of_stock
preorder
backorder

Availability must match the landing page, checkout and structured data. Price must also match the landing page and checkout. The main image must show the product accurately and exclude promotional text, watermarks and borders. These requirements make consistency between the submitted data and the store part of eligibility.

Additional attributes depend on the product. Google's free listings requirements specify condition for used or refurbished goods and item_group_id for variants, meaning versions of a product such as different sizes.

Where do shipping details belong?

Google's shipping information guide requires shipping costs, delivery times and the countries covered. Account settings include order cut-off time, handling time before dispatch and transit time with the carrier.

Product-level shipping information overrides the account-level shipping cost for that product. The same guide warns that account-level handling and transit times are then ignored even when the product data omits those times. Google's free listings requirements make shipping settings or the shipping attribute compulsory in specified countries, including France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

How is product eligibility checked?

Google's free listings setup instructions direct merchants to the Needs attention tab on the Products page to identify product data issues. The same documentation describes filtering the Merchant Center Performance page for free listings to track results.

FAQ

Do I need a GTIN for every product?

A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) identifies a trade item. Google's GTIN guidance says some products have no assigned GTIN and need no submitted value. If yours has one, submit its correct value for the specific variant; never invent an identifier.

Must I accept returns to participate?

Google's Merchant Center guidelines require you to state your policy explicitly even if you offer no returns or refunds. The policy must be easy to find on your website.

Sources

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