Google shipping and returns policies in Search Console or using new markup

Google now lets merchants add their shipping and return policies to Google Search without having a Google Merchant Center account. You can do this within Google Search Console and/or by using new structured data.

Google wrote:

“We’re excited to announce that we’re now expanding the options for merchants to provide shipping and returns information, even if they don’t have a Merchant Center account. Merchants can now tell Google about their shipping and returns policies in two distinct ways: by configuring them directly in Search Console or by using new organization-level structured data.”

Search Console. If Google determines that your site makes sense to add shipping and return policies, i.e. your site sells product, then Google will show you a new screen to add this. Google had this screen, but previously, you had to have it hooked up to a Merchant Center account to show this screen.

Google wrote, “It’s important to note that settings configured in Search Console will take precedence over structured data on your site.”

The “Shipping and returns” configuration will be rolling out gradually over the coming weeks for all countries and languages within Search Console.

Here is what it looks like:

Structured data. Google also added new structured data for you to communicate these detail to Google Search. This new markup is called organization-level shipping policy structured data. Check out that link for the technical details on how to implement this structured data.

Google wrote:

“This new markup support complements last year’s launch of organization-level return policies. Instead of adding shipping markup to every single product, you can now specify a general, site-wide shipping policy. This is ideal when your shipping policies apply to the majority of your products, as it reduces the amount of markup you need to manage. Shipping policies specified for individual products will still take priority over this general, organization-level policy for those specific items.

We recommend placing shipping structured data (nested under Organization) on the page where you describe your shipping policy. You can then test your markup using the Rich Results Test by submitting the URL of the page with shipping markup or pasting the code snippet with shipping markup. Using the tool, you can confirm whether or not your markup is valid. For example, here is a test for shipping policy markup.”

Here is sample markup:

Why we care. If you run an e-commerce site or a site that has shipping and return policies, and you never set up Google Merchant Center, well now you can communicate these policies to Google Search without a Merchant Center account.

You still probably should use Merchant Center but here is a short cut for this specific task.