What Are Product Rich Snippets
Rich product snippets are a new Google feature that make your results stand out. They provide users with more information on a specific product from the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

They are available for products, blog posts and other type of content.
We are going to focus on product rich snippets. They can be used to show availability, price and ratings and other attributes of your products. Ultimately they can boost click through because your results are more obvious and show more up front information.
I will guide you through best practice and benefits, from this you can decide whether rich snippets are for you.
Google Guidelines
Google have devised guidelines to best practice on rich product snippets. Here they are;
- When you are using product markup, the main topic of the page should focus on one product only (‘Product markup on listing pages is not supported’).
- If the product is for purchase then it should be available for purchase directly on the page. Google don’t support ‘product markup’ for pages that require a user to visit the seller’s site.
- The products review has to be the reviewer’s name and it has to be valid. For example “CNET Reviewers. For example, “50% off on Monday” is not a valid name.
Benefits
With rich snippets you can have the availability, price and ratings and other attributes of your products on the results page. This attracts potential buyers whilst they are searching for items to buy in Google
You can also control your product information so that product descriptions stay accurate and fresh. With this in mind always make sure that your product descriptions and ratings are up to date.
If you can stand out from your competitors when that set of search results pops up, then you’re likely to experience increased click through rates.
Limitations
You can view many different aspects in your product listing. However you can’t view the actual picture of your product. This is something that is available on recipe and blogging rich snippets.
Hopefully this feature will be available in the not so distant future.
A further problem with rich snippets is that you are putting your product out there with it’s ratings available for all to see. If that particular product has negative feedback then you open yourself up to scrutiny.
Conclusion
Rich product snippets are a new Google feature that makes it easier to create stand out search results.
If you liked this, why not 'like' us?
We appreciate it!
This post was by Rob, business development associate at WeMakeWebsites. We are e-commerce and Drupal experts based in Clerkenwell, London.





