Google 3D Search: your products in augmented reality in Google results
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What is Google 3D Search?
Google now allows displaying interactive 3D models directly in its search results. When a user searches for a compatible product, they can view the 3D model by rotating it 360° and, on smartphone, project it in augmented reality in their real environment.
This feature is available on AR-compatible mobile devices for a growing number of product categories: furniture, appliances, home decor, sports equipment and many more.
Why it's important for your business
Appearing in 3D in Google results offers a considerable competitive advantage:
- Tenfold visibility: A result with an interactive 3D viewer immediately captures attention among standard results.
- Higher click rate: Rich results have a significantly higher click rate than standard results.
- Improved shopping experience: The customer can interact with your product before even visiting your site, which further qualifies the visitors who end up clicking.
- Competitive advantage: Few merchants are exploiting this feature yet, creating an opportunity for early adopters.
How it works technically
To display your products in 3D in Google Search, three technical elements are required:
- A 3D model in GLB format: Google uses the GLB (binary glTF) format for 3D models. This is the web standard for 3D, and the format used by Visuality.
- Schema.org structured data: Your product page must include Product markup with 3DModel properties. This tells Google where to find your 3D model and how to associate it with the product.
- Google Merchant Center: Your product feed in Google Merchant Center can include links to your 3D models, allowing Google to associate models with Shopping listings.
Steps to configure your products in 3D on Google
Here is how to make your products visible in 3D in search results:
- Step 1 — Create your 3D models: Use Visuality to import your existing 3D models or generate them from photos using AI. All models are hosted in GLB format, directly compatible with Google.
- Step 2 — Add Schema.org markup: On each product page of your site, add Product structured data with a link to the 3D model hosted on Visuality.
- Step 3 — Configure Google Merchant Center: In your product feed, add the 3d_model_link attribute pointing to your 3D model. This allows Google to display the 3D model in Shopping results.
- Step 4 — Test and monitor: Use Google's rich results test to verify your markup is correct. Monitor Search Console to track the indexation of your 3D models.
The Visuality advantage
The 3D models created and hosted on Visuality are natively in GLB format, the format required by Google. You can therefore use the same model for your 3D viewer, augmented reality and Google results.
Furthermore, Visuality's AI 3D generation feature allows you to quickly create 3D models from simple photos, making access to Google 3D Search possible even without an existing model.