Track Google Shipping & Returns in Search Console
▼ Summary
– Google now allows merchants to add shipping and return policies to Google Search without requiring a Merchant Center account.
– Merchants can provide this information through Google Search Console or by using new organization-level structured data.
– Settings configured in Search Console will override any conflicting structured data on the merchant’s website.
– The new structured data enables specifying a general, site-wide shipping policy that applies to most products, reducing markup management.
– This update benefits e-commerce sites by simplifying how they communicate shipping and return policies directly to Google Search.
For online retailers aiming to improve their visibility in search results, Google has introduced a significant update that allows merchants to submit shipping and return policy information directly through Google Search Console, eliminating the previous requirement for a Google Merchant Center account. This development opens up new avenues for e-commerce sites to communicate essential details to potential customers right within search listings.
Google’s official announcement highlighted the expansion of options available to merchants, providing two primary methods for sharing this critical information. Businesses can now either configure their policies directly within the Search Console interface or implement newly introduced organization-level structured data on their websites.
Within Search Console, eligible websites, those Google identifies as selling products, will see a dedicated section for entering shipping and return details. This feature had existed previously but was exclusively tied to Merchant Center accounts. Now, any qualifying e-commerce site can access this configuration panel. Google specifically notes that settings configured directly in Search Console will override any structured data markup present on your website, establishing a clear hierarchy for policy management. This new functionality is being gradually released across all countries and languages supported by Search Console over the coming weeks.
The structured data approach represents the technical alternative for communicating policy information. This organization-level shipping policy markup allows merchants to define a comprehensive, site-wide shipping policy rather than tagging individual products. This proves particularly valuable when most products share the same shipping terms, significantly reducing the markup management burden. While this general policy covers the majority of cases, specific shipping details applied to individual products will still take precedence for those items. Google recommends placing this shipping structured data, properly nested under the Organization schema, on the page where you detail your shipping policy. You can validate your implementation using the Rich Results Test tool by either submitting the URL of your policy page or pasting the code snippet directly.
This update carries important implications for e-commerce operators who haven’t established Merchant Center accounts but want to ensure their shipping and return information appears in Google Search. While maintaining a Merchant Center account remains advisable for comprehensive product data management, this new approach provides a streamlined alternative specifically for policy communication.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
