At CloudMarvels, we keep a close watch on all the latest updates from Google to ensure our clients’ e-commerce websites stay ahead in the game. Recently, Google updated its guidance on Product markup, providing clear recommendations for how e-commerce sites can better optimize product listings for search results.
These new guidelines focus on how product information should be structured, with an emphasis on using HTML over JavaScript for product markup. Let’s dive into these key changes and what they mean for your e-commerce site.
New Best Practices for Product Markup
1. Recommendations for HTML-Based Product Markup
Google now recommends that Product structured data be included directly in the initial HTML of your web pages. This practice ensures that product information, such as pricing and availability, is readily accessible to web crawlers, which improves the chances of your product details appearing accurately in search results.
The updated guidance from Google reads:
“If you’re a merchant optimizing for all types of shopping results, we recommend putting Product structured data in the initial HTML for best results.”
By embedding structured data within the HTML, your e-commerce site can experience more reliable and frequent indexing, giving your products better visibility in search results.
2. Proceed with Caution: JavaScript-Generated Markup
While Google still supports the use of JavaScript for generating Product markup, it comes with a warning. Google’s crawlers may not handle JavaScript-based product data as efficiently, leading to less frequent and potentially less reliable indexing, especially for time-sensitive product information like availability or pricing.
If your site relies on JavaScript for product data, make sure your server has the capacity to handle the increased load from Google’s crawlers.
Google’s updated guidance states:
“For JavaScript-generated Product markup: Be aware that dynamically-generated markup can make Shopping crawls less frequent and less reliable, which can be an issue for fast-changing content like product availability and price. If you’re using JavaScript to generate Product markup, make sure your server has enough computing resources to handle increased traffic from Google.”
What This Means for E-Commerce Sites
With these updated guidelines, e-commerce sites should reassess their use of JavaScript-generated markup for product data. The primary takeaway is that HTML-based markup is more reliable and efficient for product listing accuracy in search results.
If your site is using JavaScript for generating product markup, it’s essential to review your current setup and ensure your server can handle the increased load from Google’s crawlers. This adjustment will help maintain accurate product information and improve the frequency and reliability of Google Shopping crawls.
For detailed instructions, refer to Google’s updated documentation on Product markup and generating structured data with JavaScript.
By following these best practices, your e-commerce site can enhance its visibility and ensure that critical product details like availability and pricing are accurately reflected in Google search results. At CloudMarvels, we are committed to keeping your digital strategy in sync with the latest updates from Google.
Feel free to contact us for more insights on implementing these changes or for further support on optimizing your e-commerce platform.
