How to market your products for free

Here’s a number worth paying attention to:
49% of shoppers say they use Google to discover or find a new item or product.‍

Yet most ecommerce teams have tunnel vision. The focus? Paid campaigns. The budget? Spent on ads. The assumption? That scaling up means spending more.

But if your only lever is ad spend, you’re missing a huge opportunity.

Platforms like Google, Microsoft Bing, Pinterest, and even Facebook and Instagram offer free product listings — prominent placements that drive visibility, clicks, and sales without costing a dime. These aren’t buried links. They’re real, shoppable listings that appear where your customers are already searching, browsing, and buying.

Still, many brands overlook them — or leave them under-utilized or un-optimized. Not because they aren’t valuable, but because they still require properly structured, well-managed product data to perform well. 

Here’s a good way to look at your free listings: You don’t pay with dollars, but you do pay with effort and strategy. Knowing how to activate and optimize them can mean better visibility, more organic sales, and a smarter path to ROI.

Let’s dive into where and how to make it happen.

Google’s Organic Shopping Listings

Free visibility in the world’s most popular search engine.

Google’s free listings appear in the Shopping tab — and increasingly, throughout regular search results — right alongside paid ads. These listings include product titles, images, pricing, and seller details, giving shoppers a rich browsing experience even when no ad is involved.

The entry point for these listings is Google Merchant Center, where retailers can submit a product feed and opt into Surfaces across Google. That unlocks free exposure across:

• The Shopping tab (desktop and mobile)
  
  
• Google Search (in some cases)
  
  
• Google Images
  
  
• Google Lens
  
  
• YouTube (product mentions and discovery feeds)

Because these listings are native to Google's ecosystem, they tap into high-intent traffic — people already searching for exactly what you're selling.

But here's the catch: visibility depends entirely on the quality of your product data. You can’t pay your way to the top like with paid ads. Instead, Google’s algorithm favors clean, complete, well-structured feeds.

That means:

• Descriptive product titles (not just brand + model)
  
  
• Clean, high-quality images
  
  
• Complete attributes like GTIN, brand, and availability
  
  
• Accurate pricing and category mapping

Many merchants lose out here — not because they lack good products, but because their data isn’t optimized to meet Google’s expectations.

That’s where having the right tools makes a difference. A feed management platform like GoDataFeed helps ecommerce teams take control of their product data — cleaning it up, formatting it to spec, and automatically syncing it to Google Merchant Center. Instead of manually managing spreadsheets or dealing with upload errors, you get a system that keeps your listings active, accurate, and optimized.

Microsoft Shopping Campaigns (Free Listings)

Extend your reach beyond Google — for free.

Microsoft may not get as much attention as Google, but it owns a surprisingly valuable slice of ecommerce real estate. Between Bing, Yahoo, and MSN, Microsoft’s network reaches millions of users, including a demographic that skews slightly older and more affluent — and often overlooked.

In 2020, Microsoft followed Google’s lead by introducing free product listings in the Bing Shopping tab. That means retailers can now get exposure on Microsoft surfaces without paying for clicks — simply by submitting a product feed to Microsoft Merchant Center and opting into free listings.

Much like Google’s setup, these listings show up when users search for products in Bing. And when your feed is optimized correctly, your products can appear in the Shopping tab with rich product details: images, price, description, availability, and more.

The great news? If you’re already managing a Google feed, you’re 90% of the way there. Microsoft’s feed specifications closely mirror Google’s, which means you can usually repurpose your existing product data with minimal adjustments.

But — as with Google — the same rule applies: your listing performance depends on the health of your data. That includes:

• Clean and descriptive product titles
  
  
• Accurate categorization
  
  
• Up-to-date availability and pricing
  
  
• High-quality images
  
  
• Valid GTINs or other identifiers

With the right feed management setup, it's possible to map fields, validate data, and sync listings across multiple channels — automatically. That means fewer manual work, fewer errors, and a lot less time spent reworking the same product data in different formats.

If your ecommerce strategy revolves around Google, adding Microsoft’s free listings is a low-effort, high-upside move. 

Pinterest (Free Catalog Listings)

Where product discovery meets inspiration — and action.

Pinterest isn’t just a place for decorating ideas or fashion inspiration — it’s a visual search engine where millions of shoppers actively discover and engage with products they’re considering for real purchases.

What makes Pinterest unique is how seamlessly product discovery blends into the user experience. Users don’t typically “search and buy” like they do on Google; instead, they browse, get inspired, and build intent over time. That makes it an ideal channel for products that benefit from visual appeal, seasonal trends, or lifestyle context — categories like home decor, fashion, beauty, and gifting.

Pinterest’s free product catalog listings allow merchants to publish their entire catalog as shoppable Pins — dynamic, auto-updating posts that pull data from your product feed. These Pins show up in users' home feeds, related product carousels, search results, and even shopping-specific feeds like Pinterest Shop.

Each Pin links directly to your product page, and the data (like pricing, inventory, or availability) updates automatically as long as your feed stays connected and healthy.

To activate this, brands need to:

• Claim their website on Pinterest
  
  
• Upload a product feed that meets Pinterest’s specifications (CSV or XML)
  
  
• Set up and maintain a Pinterest Business account
  
  
• Pass feed validation checks and ensure regular syncs

Here’s the challenge: Pinterest is highly visual — more than any other platform in this list. So image quality, title formatting, and product categorization make a massive difference in how (and if) your products appear. Using lifestyle imagery, multi-angle shots, and keyword-rich titles can significantly improve engagement.

For a deep dive into what works on Pinterest, check out this product feed optimization guide for Pinterest ecommerce.

For brands already managing feeds across multiple channels, Pinterest can often be added using the same product data — as long as it’s mapped to Pinterest’s requirements. With the right feed delivery system, you can automatically generate a Pinterest-ready version of your catalog that updates as your main feed does.

Facebook & Instagram Shops (Honorable Mentions)

Free listings on the world’s most social platforms.

Facebook and Instagram may be known for their ad capabilities, but they also offer free product listings through Shops — allowing businesses to create customizable storefronts directly on their social profiles.

These storefronts are built from a connected product catalog and appear in:

• Facebook Shop tabs
  
  
• Instagram profile Shops
  
  
• Product tags in posts, Reels, and Stories
  
  
• Instagram Explore and search feeds
  
  

This means your products can be discovered organically — without paid promotion — as part of the native user experience. And because they’re shoppable in-platform, customers can browse collections, save items, or click through to your site to complete a purchase.

⚠️ It’s important to note: if you choose to activate Checkout on Facebook or Instagram, Meta will apply selling fees (typically 5% per transaction). However, if you direct traffic back to your site (via “View on Website” options), there are no fees for listings — making this a truly free sales channel when used in catalog-only mode.

To activate Facebook and Instagram Shops, you’ll need:

• A Business Manager account
  
  
• A product catalog connected via Meta Commerce Manager
  
  
• Proper feed formatting (product title, price, availability, images, etc.)
  
  
• A synced and validated product feed

The best-performing Shops keep their catalogs up to date with real-time inventory, accurate pricing, and compelling visuals. When your catalog is powered by a connected feed system, syncing product data to Meta’s platforms becomes a behind-the-scenes process — automatic, reliable, and always up to date.

While Shops don’t offer the same volume of organic traffic as search-based platforms like Google or Microsoft, they excel in discovery-driven environments where product visibility blends seamlessly into content consumption. For brands investing in social presence, activating free Shops is a no-brainer.

Maximizing Your Free Listings

Visibility is free. Performance is earned.

Getting your products listed on Google, Microsoft, Pinterest, and Meta is just the beginning. These platforms may offer free real estate — but earning visibility and clicks depends on what you do with it.

Here’s how to make sure your free listings don’t just show up — they stand out.

Use High-Quality, Platform-Optimized Images

Images are often the first (and only) thing users notice before clicking — especially on visual-first platforms like Pinterest and Instagram. Avoid cluttered backgrounds, watermarks, and low resolution. Use clean, professional photos that showcase your product clearly, ideally from multiple angles or in a lifestyle setting.

Bonus tip: Some platforms prioritize images with white backgrounds, while others perform better with contextual or lifestyle imagery. A/B test where possible.

Write Clear, Descriptive Product Titles

Each channel has its own algorithm, but one universal rule applies: generic titles don’t sell. “T-shirt” tells a shopper nothing. “Men’s Performance T-Shirt – Moisture Wicking, Slim Fit, Black” hits keywords, conveys value, and helps the algorithm understand your product.

Optimize your titles by including:

• Brand
  
  
• Product type
  
  
• Key attributes (color, material, size)
  
  
• Intended audience or use

Bonus tip: Some data feed management platforms like GoDataFeed give you the ability to concatenate multiple fields into one to automatically generate richer values. [Read the help article here.]

Categorize and Attribute Accurately

All major channels rely on categorization and structured attributes to index products and match them with relevant searches. The better your product is classified, the more likely it is to surface in front of the right customer.

• Use each channel’s taxonomy (e.g., Google Product Categories)
  
  
• Include GTINs, MPNs, brand, condition, and availability
  
  
• Double-check that pricing, sale prices, and inventory levels are accurate

Bonus tip: Some data feed management platforms like GoDataFeed have automatic mapping and categorization features that take the hard work out of this process. [Learn more about Category Mapping.]

Keep Pricing Competitive

Even in free listings, pricing plays a major role in CTR. When your product is shown alongside similar options, it needs to be competitive. That doesn’t always mean being the cheapest — perceived value, free shipping, and reviews can sway decisions.

Automate Feed Syncing to Stay Compliant and Consistent

Free listings can lose visibility — or get delisted — when product data goes out of sync. Inaccurate inventory, outdated pricing, or missing attributes are all red flags for channel algorithms.

Automation helps prevent those issues by keeping your feeds clean, compliant, and consistent. Whether through scheduled updates, error alerts, or channel-specific formatting rules, a well-automated feed ensures your products stay active, accurate, and ready to sell — everywhere they’re listed.

Don’t Leave Money on the Table

Free product listings aren’t just an afterthought — they’re a strategic growth lever hiding in plain sight.

If you’ve been pouring your budget into paid campaigns while overlooking the free opportunities on platforms like Google, Microsoft, Pinterest, and Meta, you’re leaving visibility, clicks, and revenue behind. These channels offer real estate that’s available 24/7 — with no CPC and no media budget required — as long as your product data is clean, complete, and optimized.

As the next shopping season ramps up, now is the time to get ahead. The earlier your feeds are tuned up, the more momentum you can build heading into key retail moments.

Short on time? Ask us about free feed setup support.