Google Continues Testing of Product Image Formats in SERPS from March 2024 onwards
Google has been testing various formats for search result snippets that include product images. According to the search results: In March 2024, Google started testing an updated format for multi-image thumbnails in search results that provide direct links to product pages.
Product PPC Results & Organic Results Are Now More Convoluted
From a simple point of view, it appears the line between ‘PPC’ and ‘organic’ results is being pushed a bit with the results being ‘image heavy’. For the user, and for SEO specialists, this line has got more blurry with this update.
This updated format shows several product images in the search snippet. Users can click on to navigate to the product listing page, rather than the product itself – or vice versa. Image results do indeed point to commercial listings, like eBay which we see below. Fewer results point to ‘informational’, pages in the tests I have run with non branded keywords like ‘red hiking boots’.
Google has experimented with product images in search snippets before. This updated format for product image snippets has also been spotted for local business listings. In this format, image thumbnails link to subcategories or related pages, rather than the main business page.
Google seems to be continuously experimenting with various ways to surface product and local business information directly in search results. This is done through enhanced snippet formats.
However, the full rollout and impact of these changes remains to be seen as they continue to test well into April.
Google Product Image Update Has Various Constants
From the various test formats, reliance on very highly pushed PPC products has been blurred as we see many products under the ‘organic SERPs’, as rich product snippets. The question is have they been paid for and why are they not marked up as ‘Ads’.
The constant which you will see is that typically per page there are two sets of ‘people also asked’, meaning that with organic listings. Per page, the constant I see is this happening twice per page.
Given that the ‘helpful content update’ came out in March 2024, you may notice that in the images above and below, not all the boots are red. So much for simple AI colour detection.
For me, I find the experience too overwhelming and none to helpful – given the images grabbed and presented by Google are consistently incorrect. Expect a future Google update to push this onus on the web-master in a helpful content update coming soon.
- AI in SEO: Maximising Your Online Visibility - 21 October 2025
- Effective SEO Reindexing Techniques: A Guide - 21 October 2025
- Local SEO Course Passed - 2 February 2025