Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:23:43 by Matt Hopkins
Not many people are currently aware that you can search for products by barcode (UPC or EAN) in GoogleBase - but as mobile search use increases, this type of search will become increasingly common. In this post, I'll show you how to ensure that your productbarcodes are also included in GoogleBase so that they appear for searches of this type.
Take a look at the following barcode for a pack of DVD-Rs:
If you type the full bar code number into Google (Shopping), here's what you get:
The solution is pretty simple. You just need to make sure that your GoogleBase feeds include the barcode data - either manually or in your automatic feed.
When you enter your "product" type of data in Google, there's additional optional fields available that are displayed on the right hand side (see below). If you are Europe, then simply click on the "EAN" option. If you are based in the USA, then click on "UPC".
It will then be added to your product details so that you can easily add the specific barcode/EAN for your product. If you are using an XML feed, then the you can use the g:ean element like this in your existing feed:
<g:ean>4905524318319</g:ean>
So when a user is shopping and they want to know if they can get a better deal on a product online, they simply go to Google and type in (or ideally in the future scan) the barcode and they will be able to see a list of web sites along with the competing price. Here's how it looks:
The tip here is a simple one, when you are adding your products to GoogleBase (and other product aggregators) make sure that you add the EAN/UPC information too. This search approach is a little bit useful now - but in the coming years of mobile search boom it will become much more important.
Matt Hopkins
Managing Director |
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