Google is piloting a shift in how product grid results behave in core web search: instead of opening its multi-retailer side panel, some clicks now go straight to the merchant’s product page. The test was spotted by Brodie Clark, who documented the change on X and on SERPalerts, noting that clicking a free product listing now bypasses the overlay experience entirely. Google ran a similar experiment inside Google Shopping last June, and this expansion moves the same mechanic into standard search results.
The side panel Google is testing against typically surfaces several retailers selling the same item, giving shoppers a comparison view before they leave Google. Routing clicks directly to one merchant removes that intermediate step, which could raise conversion rates for the retailer whose listing gets clicked but reduces the price-comparison traffic Google itself has used to keep shoppers on its own pages.
Google has not confirmed the test publicly or said how widely it is rolling out. Retailers should watch referral traffic and conversion data from Google organic listings for signs the direct-link behavior is reaching their own pages.
Search Engine Roundtable first reported the test, spotted by Brodie Clark, on September 16, 2026.
