If your product visibility has relied on free Google Shopping listings, the recent change in European search results deserves immediate attention.
In mid-September 2026, Google removed free product listings and “popular products” carousels from Google Search across the European Economic Area (EEA), including Germany and France. Google confirmed that the change was made to comply with the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA).
This doesn’t mean Google Shopping has disappeared altogether. Paid Shopping ads remain, and free product listings can still appear on other Google surfaces. But for many retailers, the organic product-visibility layer in EEA web Search has changed, with retailer pages, comparison services and other shopping-related results now occupying more of the space previously filled by Google’s product carousels.
This article explains what changed, what still works, and how to build an SEO and GEO strategy for product discovery across search, comparison services, marketplaces and AI search.
Contents
- What changed in Google Shopping – September 2026?
- What Do Google Shopping Changes Mean For Retailers?
- SEO Remains The Foundation
- GEO Extends The Strategy to AI Search
- How to Measure the Google Shopping Impact Properly
- Google Shopping Mistakes to Avoid
- What Are My Next steps?
- FAQ: Google Shopping Changes September 2026
What changed in Google Shopping – September 2026?
Google removed free product listings and the “popular products” carousel from Search results in the EEA. Independent tracking and subsequent reporting found the reduction was close to total, rather than a temporary fluctuation as initially suspected.
The change was implemented as part of Google’s response to DMA requirements in Europe. In practice, Google has reduced its own prominently placed shopping modules in organic Search results, creating more room for retailer and comparison-shopping-service results – as we can see in the image below.
However, Paid Shopping ads were not removed. Merchants can also continue to use Merchant Center, and free listings may still be eligible on surfaces such as the Shopping tab, Google Images, Google Lens and Maps, depending on eligibility and configuration.
What Do Google Shopping Changes Mean For Retailers?
The most important consequence is that free visibility in EEA web Search can no longer be treated as a dependable Shopping carousel or grid placement.
| Area | What changed | What remains |
| Free product listings in EEA web Search | Largely removed | May remain eligible on other Google surfaces |
| “Popular products” carousels | Removed at near-total scale in tracked EEA markets | Paid Shopping ads remain |
| Shopping tab | Removed from affected European search navigation | Merchant Center and Shopping surfaces can still be relevant |
| Merchant Center | Still required for Shopping ads and product-data management | Still valuable for feeds and other Google surfaces |
| Organic product SEO & GEO | More important | Retailer pages, category pages, guides and comparison content can gain visibility |
For retailers previously recieving meaningful non-paid traffic from Shopping carousels, this is a significant channel change. Review Search Console, Merchant Center and analytics data by market before reallocating budget or deprioritising product feeds.
SEO Remains The Foundation
When high-visibility SERP features disappear, our fundamental marketing skills matter even more. Strong product, category and buying-guide SEO helps you compete in the organic results that now hold greater sway in buying decisions.
Make product and category pages easy to find
- Keep product and category pages crawlable and indexable
- Build a clear internal linking structure so users and crawlers can reach important pages quickly
- Add contextual links from buying guides and comparison pages to relevant categories and products
- Link related products and alternatives where they genuinely help the shopper
- Ensure key commercial pages have unique titles, descriptions, headings and useful on-page content
Keep product data consistent
Align your Merchant Center feed with on-page information, including price, availability, brand, variants, shipping and returns. Google recommends providing both structured data and a Merchant Center feed where relevant, because this maximises eligibility and helps Google verify product information.
- Use accurate product structured data where your pages are eligible
- Distinguish between product snippets and merchant listings, and implement the appropriate markup for each page type
- Fix mismatches between feed and page promptly
- Keep shipping, availability, returns and variant information current
Cover the full purchase journey
Shoppers rarely move directly from a generic query to a product page. Build visibility across the journey:
- Product pages: clear specifications, pricing, availability, variants and shipping information
- Problem-led guides: explain the need, constraints and suitable solutions
- Comparison pages: provide honest, evidence-based side-by-side evaluations.
- Use-case content: show products in real contexts
- Decision-support content: answer final-stage questions around compatibility, warranties, returns and total cost
The objective here is to earn visibility in organic retailer, category and guide results rather than depending on the Shopping module.
GEO Extends The Strategy to AI Search
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is about making your brand, products and expertise easy for AI systems to understand, summarise and cite accurately. It complements SEO; it does not replace it, and it does not guarantee citations.
A lot of the same fundamentals apply as within SEO: crawlability, helpful people-first content, internal links, strong page experience and textual content.
Structure product information clearly
- State facts, specifications and availability in plain language
- Explain use cases so AI systems can match products to actual needs
- Support comparisons with evidence rather than vague superlatives
- Keep brand, product, pricing and retailer information consistent across your website, feeds and external sources
- Ensure structured data matches the visible content on the page
Earn valuable mentions with substance
- Publish original testing, first-hand expertise and useful buying advice
- Provide credible evidence for performance, compatibility and quality claims
- Maintain consistent product and brand information across owned and external sources
- Avoid artificial mentions, doorway-style pages and shallow keyword variations
Expert Tip For Google Shopping
Combining an SEO and GEO strategy is essential considering Google Shopping’s recent changes. As Franziska Dau, Peak Ace’s Principle Consultant SEO emphasised:
Google’s EEA Shopping change is yet another reminder that e-commerce brands can’t afford to rely on a single platform or search feature for product visibility. A combined SEO and GEO strategy can help retailers build discoverability across both organic and AI search, making them more resilient as platforms evolve.
How to Measure the Google Shopping Impact Properly
Establish a before-and-after view across the channels that now matter.
- Search Console: monitor clicks, impressions, CTR and position changes for product, category and buying-guide queries
- Merchant Center: review feed health, product approvals, impressions, clicks and performance by country and surface
- Analytics: track sessions, conversions, revenue and assisted conversions by channel
- Paid Shopping: compare Shopping ad performance before and after the organic carousel removal
- Comparison services and CSS: evaluate visibility and traffic through comparison-shopping partners where relevant
- AI visibility checks: repeatedly test priority customer questions in relevant AI systems, then validate the findings against real customer questions and search demand. Treat prompt-to-answer examples as hypotheses. Group them by intent, then measure whether improved AI visibility leads to qualified traffic, conversions or revenue.
Google Shopping Mistakes to Avoid
- Treating this as a temporary Google test without validating the impact on your own accounts
- Assuming all Google Shopping activity has ended; paid ads and other surfaces remain relevant
- Neglecting Merchant Center because free listings no longer appear as expected in EEA web Search
- Chasing GEO tactics before fixing crawlability, internal linking, product data and content quality
- Publishing thin product or comparison pages that merely rephrase manufacturer descriptions
- Failing to set a measurement baseline before changing strategy
What Are My Next steps?
Product discovery in Europe is now more distributed across organic retail results, comparison services, paid Shopping, marketplaces and AI search.
Audit your EEA visibility, quantify the traffic impact, strengthen product and category SEO, and build a measurement framework that covers both classic Search and AI search.
Need help getting started? Reach out to Peak Ace’s SEO and LLMO & GEO teams to talk strategy – we’ve helped brands exactly like yours stay ahead of changes exactly like this.
FAQ: Google Shopping Changes September 2026
Has Google Shopping disappeared from search results?
No. Free product listings and “popular products” carousels have largely disappeared from EEA web Search results, but paid Shopping ads remain. Free listings may also remain eligible on other Google surfaces.
Is the DMA the reason for the Google Shopping change?
Yes. Google confirmed that the removal of free Shopping listings and product carousels in Europe was part of its compliance with the Digital Markets Act.
Do I still need Merchant Center?
Yes. Merchant Center remains important for Shopping ads, product-data quality and eligibility for other Google surfaces. However, retailers should reassess expectations for free-listing traffic from general EEA web Search.
Should retailers use a comparison shopping service?
It can be worth evaluating. The changed EEA results give comparison services and retailer listings greater prominence, and CSS participation is one route merchants can consider for Shopping visibility in Europe.
