A new study analyzing 5,000 Google Shopping keywords sheds light on the factors that correlate with higher rankings.
The research, conducted by Jeff Oxford, Founder of 180 Marketing, reveals trends that could help ecommerce stores improve their visibility in Google’s free Shopping listings.
Amazon Dominates Google Shopping
Amazon ranks in the #1 position for 52% of Google Shopping searches, outpacing Walmart (6%) and Home Depot (3%).
Beyond Amazon’s dominance, the study found a strong correlation between website authority and rankings, with higher-ranking sites often belonging to well-established brands.
Takeaway: Building your brand and earning trust is vital to ranking well on Google Shopping.
Backlinks, Reviews, & Pricing
The study identified several trends that separate higher-ranking pages from the rest:
Referring Domains: Product pages in the top two positions had more backlinks than lower-ranking pages. Interestingly, most product pages analyzed (98%) had no backlinks at all.
Customer Reviews: Product pages with customer reviews ranked higher, and stores with star ratings below 3.5 struggled to rank well.
Pricing: Lower-priced products tended to rank higher, with top-performing listings often featuring prices below the category average.
Takeaway: Building backlinks, collecting customer reviews, and offering competitive pricing can make a difference.
Meta Descriptions A Top Signal
Among on-page factors, meta descriptions had the strongest correlation with rankings.
Pages that included exact-match keywords in their meta descriptions consistently ranked higher.
While keyword usage in title tags and H1 headers showed some correlation, the impact was much smaller.
Takeaway: Optimize meta descriptions and product copy with target keywords to improve rankings.
Structured Data Findings
Structured data showed mixed results in the study.