Can you sell digital products on Google Shopping?
The problem“I sell Notion templates and ebooks. Forums say Google Shopping is for physical goods only and digital products get rejected. Others say yes. I want to know what Google's own rules say before I set up Merchant Center.”
Yes, you can sell digital products on Google Shopping through free listings, if they are one-time purchases such as templates or ebooks. Google's policy page bans ebooks in Shopping ads, but says that rule "does not apply to free listings". Digital content sold as a recurring subscription, and services such as streaming, are not allowed.
What does Google's policy say about digital products?
Google does not ban digital products as a group. Its page Unsupported Shopping content names three things that matter to digital sellers:
- Ebooks: ads only. "eBooks and digital books (not including audiobooks)" are not allowed, but Google adds: "This policy only applies to Shopping ads. It does not apply to free listings."
- Services: not allowed. "Labor, time, effort, expertise, or actions, which do not result in ownership of a tangible product are not allowed." Google lists "streaming content" as an example.
- Recurring billing: not allowed. Payment methods that charge "at regular intervals in the future" are out, including "digital content with recurring payment subscriptions". One exception: "Software subscriptions that are prepaid and autorenew only annually are allowed."
Only the ebook rule says it spares free listings. Treat the services and recurring-billing rules as applying everywhere.
Templates are not on the unsupported list, and Google's product taxonomy gives them a category: 8022, "Software > Digital Goods & Currency > Document Templates". Ebooks have 543542, "Media > Books > E-books".
Which digital products are allowed on Google Shopping?
| Product | Free listings | Shopping ads | Google category | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notion, Canva or document templates (one-time) | Not on the unsupported list | Not on the unsupported list | 8022 Document Templates | Policy, taxonomy |
| Ebooks (PDF, ePub, MOBI) | Allowed: the ban "does not apply to free listings" | Not allowed | 543542 E-books | Policy |
| Audiobooks | Allowed | Allowed | Not checked | Policy |
| Digital content with a monthly subscription | Not allowed | Not allowed | Policy | |
| Software, prepaid and renewing yearly | Allowed | Allowed | Policy | |
| Streaming, coaching, calls, done-for-you work | Not allowed (services) | Not allowed (services) | Policy |
Checked 7 November 2026. A course sold as access to videos is close to "streaming content"; a course sold as a downloadable pack is not addressed by name (unverified either way).
Do digital products really show up on Google Shopping?
Yes. On 6 November 2026, a US Google Shopping search for "notion template for freelancers" showed a grid of Notion templates from an independent shop, Etsy sellers, eBay and Notion's own marketplace. That is free-listing space, open to any shop with a Merchant Center feed.
Google Shopping does not take the payment. The buyer clicks through to your product page and pays on your checkout, so the price on that page decides what Google shows.
Do digital products show in Google AI Mode and Gemini?
They can. On 6 November 2026, Google AI Mode answered "best notion template for freelancers to buy" with a comparison table and product cards, one of them a Skillshare listing at $25. Gemini's help page says: "Gemini uses information from Google's Shopping Graph to help you find products, compare options, and make purchase decisions" (Gemini help).
The audience is large. Alphabet said in July 2026 that AI Mode has "surpassed 1 billion monthly active users" (Alphabet Q2 2026). The space is small: a vendor study of 100,000+ US and UK queries found AI Mode shows products on about 23% of shopping queries, about 4.3 products at a time, compared with 22.5 on normal Search (Productrise, via PPC Land, a vendor study). We found no published traffic or sales data for digital sellers in Shopping or AI Mode.
What does a digital product need in Merchant Center?
Google has no attribute that marks a product as digital (product data specification), so you describe it with the normal fields:
- Shipping, even at $0. Free listings in the US, UK and 28 other countries require "Shipping" settings or the shipping attribute (free listings). For a download, set a service such as "Digital delivery" at 0.00 USD.
- No barcode. Set `identifier_exists` to `no` and `condition` to `new`.
- The right category. 8022 for templates, 543542 for ebooks.
- Price parity. Google: "Submit an amount and currency that match the price on your landing page and the checkout pages." In the US, "Don't include any taxes". In the UK and EU countries, give the price "including any value-added tax (VAT)" (Price attribute).
- A return policy on your website (free listings).
How do I list digital products on Google Shopping, step by step?
- Pick one-time products only. Leave out monthly subscriptions, coaching and streaming access.
- Open Merchant Center and verify your site. Use the domain your product pages live on, and switch on free listings.
- Set a $0 shipping rule for each country you target. Start with one: the US in USD.
- Add a product data source. A feed URL that Google fetches, or the API.
- Fill the attributes. A clear title ("Freelance OS: Notion template for freelancers, client and invoice tracker"), category 8022 or 543542, `identifier_exists` no, a square image of the real product with no promo text.
- Match the price. Feed price, product page and checkout show the same amount, with tax handled as above.
- Check weekly. Watch disapprovals, impressions and clicks in Merchant Center for 4 weeks before adding more products.
The checkout behind the product page also matters. If AgentaOS is your merchant of record, it is the legal seller on each sale and handles the buyer's sales tax or VAT and the invoice; it pays out to 86 countries, to individuals and companies (facts). On Agenta Store, Professional stores (€39 a month) serve a Google-format product feed built from their live products, with category, $0 digital shipping and `identifier_exists` already set (for now for stores priced in USD, targeting US buyers). A feed is not a listing: Google still reviews every product. Agenta Store is open to sellers in the Balkans and Turkey.
Checklist: before you submit digital products to Google
- ✓One-time price, no monthly subscription
- ✓No services, coaching or streaming access in the feed
- ✓Category 8022 (templates) or 543542 (ebooks)
- ✓$0 shipping set for each target country
- ✓`identifier_exists` no, `condition` new
- ✓Feed price matches product page and checkout
- ✓Return policy and contact details on your site
- ✓Title says what it is: "Notion template", "ebook", who it is for
When is this not worth it?
If you sell subscriptions, courses as streamed access or calls, Google's policy rules them out, so skip it. If you want ads for ebooks, Shopping ads will not take them. If you expect a sales channel, expect a few clicks a week instead: AI Mode shows few products, paid tiles keep growing, and nobody has published results for digital sellers. It costs nothing but setup time, so a small test is the honest way to find out.
Change how you sell. Grow revenue 4×.
Answer 3 questions and get a free audit of your price and checkout, from the founder. Free, in 2 working days.
Related questions
Can you sell digital products on Google Shopping?
Yes, in free listings, for one-time products such as templates and ebooks. Google's ebook ban covers Shopping ads only. Digital content with recurring payments and services such as streaming are not allowed. The buyer pays on your own site.
Can I sell Notion templates on Google Shopping?
Yes. Notion templates are not on Google's unsupported list and fit category 8022, Document Templates. On 6 November 2026 a US Google Shopping search showed Notion templates from an independent shop, Etsy sellers, eBay and Notion's marketplace.
Are ebooks allowed in Google free listings?
Yes. Google bans ebooks and digital books in Shopping ads, but its policy page says the rule "does not apply to free listings". Audiobooks are allowed in both. Use category 543542, E-books.
Do digital products show in Google AI Mode and Gemini?
They can. Gemini uses Google's Shopping Graph to find products. One vendor study found AI Mode shows products on about 23% of shopping queries, around 4 at a time. No public traffic data exists for digital sellers.
Do I need shipping for a digital product in Merchant Center?
Yes, in the US, UK and 28 other countries. Google requires shipping settings for free listings there. For a download, add a $0 service, for example "Digital delivery" at 0.00 USD.
Know what to charge before you launch
Paste your product or store link. Pricing Intelligence tells you what to charge and how to package it. Free, no card.
€0 account, no cardSell as an individual or a company
Related
Sources: Google, Unsupported Shopping content · Google, Price attribute · Google, Free listings for products · Google, Product data specification · Google product taxonomy (version 2021-09-21) · Google, Shopping in Gemini Apps · Alphabet Q2 2026 CEO remarks · PPC Land on the Productrise study (29 Jul 2026) · AgentaOS facts · Agenta Store