Retailers could soon get shoppers on their own product pages faster: Google is testing product and shopping listings in Search that link directly to the merchant or retailer website. In this test, clicking a product result takes the shopper to the retailer’s page rather than opening the side panel that Google normally shows. The change was first observed in mid September 2026 within the core web search results.
What is Google changing in product listings?
When a shopper clicks a product listing in Google Search today, Google usually opens a side panel with more details about the product, including offers from multiple retailers. The current test replaces that behavior. Clicking a product grid free listing result now sends the shopper straight to the product page on the retailer’s own site.
As the observation described it, clicking on product grid free listing results takes you directly to the product page, instead of displaying the product overlay experience with multiple retailers.
Where has Google tried this before?
This is not the first place Google has tried a direct-to-merchant link. Google tested the same idea inside Google Shopping in June, and it is now bringing the approach into the core web search results. The current test applies the direct link to free product listings, the unpaid results that appear in Google’s product grids.
How could this affect retailers?
A direct link changes the path a shopper takes from the search results to a purchase. Instead of landing on a Google overlay that compares several retailers side by side, the shopper arrives on a single retailer’s product page in one click. For a merchant, that means fewer steps between the search result and its own site, and less exposure to competing offers inside the overlay at the moment of the click.
Because this is a test, it may appear for some shoppers and not others, and Google can change or end it at any time. The behavior seen so far applies to free product listings rather than paid placements.
What should merchants watch for?
Merchants and SEOs can check how their own product listings behave in Google Search and note whether a click opens the multi-retailer side panel or goes straight to the product page. Watching landing page traffic from Google product listings will show whether the direct-link experience is reaching a given store’s shoppers. Keeping product pages accurate and fast helps whichever version of the click a shopper gets, since a direct link puts the retailer’s page in front of the shopper immediately.
FAQ
What is Google testing with product listings in Search?
Google is testing linking product and shopping listings in Google Search directly to the merchant or retailer website, instead of opening a side panel with details and offers from multiple retailers.
Does the direct link apply to paid or free listings?
The observed test applies to product grid free listing results, meaning a click on those unpaid listings takes the shopper directly to the product page.
Has Google tried this direct-link approach before?
Yes. Google tested the direct-to-merchant link within Google Shopping in June, and it is now testing the same behavior in the core web search results.
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