Product snippet
A product snippet is a Google search result showing extra product details, such as ratings, price and availability, drawn from Product markup.
What it means
Google describes a product snippet as “a text result that includes additional product information such as ratings, review information, price, and availability”.1
Its markup is one of Google’s two kinds of product structured data. It is meant for pages “where people can’t directly purchase the product”, such as an editorial review.2 The requirements are light: a name, plus a review, an overall rating or an offer.1
A shop rarely needs it on its own. A retailer’s product page is a merchant listing, and meeting that markup’s requirements “means that your product pages can also be eligible for product snippets”.2
Think of it like this
It is like a magazine review that prints the price and a star rating beside the write-up. You learn about the product there, but you buy it somewhere else.
For example
A cookery blog reviews a Brackmore kettle. Its Product markup gives the name, a rating of 4.5 out of 5 and an Offer at 39.99 GBP. The result can show stars and a price, although the blog sells nothing.
Why it matters
Not to be confused with
A product snippet is not a merchant listing. Snippet markup suits pages about a product, such as reviews. Merchant listing markup is for pages where a shopper buys from you, with room for delivery and returns.2
Sources
- Google Search Central. Product snippet (Product, Review, Offer) structured data.
- Google Search Central. Introduction to Product structured data.
- Google Search Central. Merchant listing (Product, Offer) structured data.