What is a free product listing (free listing)?
WeAdU · Updated 5 October 2026
A free product listing (free listing) is a way to show a product on Google at no cost, with the offer details, from Merchant Center. If the product is eligible, it may appear on Search, Images, Lens, YouTube, Gemini, the Shopping tab, Maps and the products module on a Business Profile: the help points to product pages, not a homepage, a shipping or returns page, or a category page.
Where can a free listing show?
Free listings can show on the Shopping tab, and Shopping ads keep the ad slots on that tab. Marketing methods, previously called destinations, name where and how the product is shown. A free local listing, for an in-store product when the setting is on, can include hours, an address, a phone number, a price, availability and a distance. Country lists for each surface are not copied. The help limits some surfaces: popular apparel and accessories on mobile in the United States, YouTube in some countries, and the Shopping knowledge panel in the countries named on the page.
Is the setting on by default?
In most cases free listings are on by default, including on a new Merchant Center account. Status is read on the Free listings card, under Marketing, then Marketing methods. Changing it takes Admin access. The setting covers online products and in-store products. On a marketplace account, the parent setting applies to sub-accounts, unless the sub-account has its own, which takes priority.
That permission does not promise the product will be shown. The help says Google matches the data you provide with customer searches. The same reserve is repeated lower on the page.
Which conditions does the help set?
Showing products at no cost means following the policies. The Shopping policies page, read the same day, sorts them into four areas: prohibited content, prohibited practices, restricted content and site requirements. A listing outside those rules can stop serving.
Return information goes on the website. The help also recommends adding it in Merchant Center, and says it may affect a purchase. Shipping settings, or the shipping attribute, are required in the countries the page names. That list is not copied.
The page lists attributes and marks most of them as required. The table stays on the help page. The GTIN and MPN entries already define two of those codes. An image that is too small, or that carries promotional content, is named as a reason for disapproval. The Needs attention tab shows product-data issues. Setup has three steps: product details, required attributes, then improved information. An account opened through a partner changes its data through that partner. No agency is named.
What remains if the setting is turned off?
Turning the setting off does not clear everything. Store content that was crawled can still appear, with no markup and outside Merchant Center. Crawl and indexing controls can stop that. Titles and images submitted in Merchant Center may still be used, under the Merchant Center terms. Tracking is on the Performance page, filtered to free listings. No volume is cited.
What does the WeAdU audit cover?
All our audits cover Google Ads only. This page defines the free listing. It does not promise that a product will show, and it does not describe a fix. The help pages cited were read on 3 October 2026.
Help pages
Google help pages read on 3 October 2026.