Google product category lookup
Google sorts every product in Shopping ads and free listings into one of its own categories, each with a number. Search the list or browse it column by column, or paste your product titles to get a category ID for each, then copy the ID or download a CSV for your feed.
Google sorts every product in Shopping into one of its own categories, each with a number. Find yours here and put the number in your feed’s google_product_category column. A product feed is the file or app sync that sends your catalog to Google Merchant Center. Google guesses a category when you leave it blank, and sometimes guesses wrong.
Loading Google’s product taxonomy…
Categories for a whole feed
How to read your number
A Google product category is a node in Google's product taxonomy, a fixed tree of about 5,600 categories that Merchant Center uses to classify every product in Shopping ads and free listings. Each has a numeric ID and a path: a dress is 2271, Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses. Search for the product's main function, pick the most specific match, and put either the ID or the path in google_product_category.
Why it matters
Google assigns every product a category on its own, and usually gets it right. When it doesn't, the wrong category can pull in extra required fields (apparel needs color, size, age group and gender), put the product in the wrong Shopping campaign, or block it entirely for alcohol. Setting the category yourself fixes that, and a precise category puts the product in front of the right searches.
Automations
Check your google product category on a schedule
Describe the job once. Replo runs it on your data from Shopify and Google Ads and posts what needs your attention.
Formula
google_product_category = one category ID (e.g. 2271) or its full path (e.g. Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses)
Submit the ID or the path, not both. Use the single most specific category that describes the product's main function. If none fits, leave it to Google and describe the product in product_type instead.
Other ways to calculate google product category lookup
- Numeric ID
- google_product_category: 2271
- The safest choice in any language or file format: no escaping, and it survives taxonomy renames.
- Full path
- google_product_category: Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses
- When people edit the feed by hand and need to read it. In XML, escape & as & and > as >.
- Your own product_type
- product_type: Women > Dresses > Summer
- Your store's own categories, any words you like. Use it with or instead of the Google category to split Shopping campaigns.
How to pick the right Google product category
- Describe the main function. A phone case is Electronics > Communications > Telephony > Mobile Phone Accessories > Mobile Phone Cases, not Apparel.
- Go as deep as the tree goes. "Electronics" alone is allowed but weak; the leaf category ranks the product for the right searches.
- One category per product. For a bundle, use the category of the main item.
- Watch the categories with extra rules. Apparel & Accessories needs color, size, age group and gender; alcohol, gift cards, contract phones and software subscriptions must use specific categories.
How to calculate google product category lookup: a worked example
A store sells a daily face moisturizer and adds it to its Google Shopping feed.
- Search "moisturizer": the top match is Health & Beauty > Personal Care > Cosmetics > Skin Care > Lotion & Moisturizer
- It has no subcategories, so it's as specific as the taxonomy goes
- Copy the ID, 2592, into google_product_category
The moisturizer is classified as Lotion & Moisturizer (2592), deeper and more precise than Skin Care (567).
Common Google product category IDs for online stores
Apparel: Shirts & Tops 212, Dresses 2271, Shoes 187, Earrings 194. Beauty and health: Skin Care 567, Vitamins & Supplements 525. Home: Candles 588. Food: Coffee 1868. Pets: Dog Supplies 5. Bags: Backpacks 100.
Google adds and retires categories over time and translates older ones to the latest version, so check the lookup when you set up a new product type. Feeds also need a valid GTIN for branded products; check yours with the UPC and GTIN check digit calculator.
| Category | ID | Categories below it |
|---|---|---|
| Animals & Pet Supplies | 1 | 124 |
| Apparel & Accessories | 166 | 239 |
| Arts & Entertainment | 8 | 499 |
| Baby & Toddler | 537 | 86 |
| Business & Industrial | 111 | 223 |
| Cameras & Optics | 141 | 103 |
| Electronics | 222 | 417 |
| Food, Beverages & Tobacco | 412 | 363 |
| Furniture | 436 | 120 |
| Hardware | 632 | 521 |
| Health & Beauty | 469 | 345 |
| Home & Garden | 536 | 1,034 |
| Luggage & Bags | 5181 | 21 |
| Mature | 772 | 37 |
| Media | 783 | 29 |
| Office Supplies | 922 | 165 |
| Religious & Ceremonial | 5605 | 12 |
| Software | 2092 | 34 |
| Sporting Goods | 988 | 800 |
| Toys & Games | 1239 | 173 |
| Vehicles & Parts | 888 | 229 |
Questions about google product category lookup
- What are Google Shopping product categories?
- They're the 5,595 categories in Google's product taxonomy, such as Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts & Tops (ID 212). Google files every product in Shopping ads and free listings under one, from your feed's google_product_category value or its own guess, and uses it to decide which searches the product shows for and which rules apply.
- Is google_product_category required?
- No. Google assigns every product a category automatically. Set it yourself when Google's choice is wrong, when your Shopping campaigns are split by category, or for alcohol, which must be in the alcoholic beverages category.
- Should I use the category ID or the full path?
- Either works, but not both. The numeric ID (2271) is shorter, needs no escaping in XML, and works whatever language your feed is in. The full path is easier for people to read when they edit the feed.
- What's the difference between google_product_category and product_type?
- google_product_category must come from Google's fixed taxonomy. product_type is your own category path, with any words you like, such as "Women > Dresses > Summer". Use product_type to organize campaigns the way your store does.
- How do I add Google product categories to many products at once?
- Map them in bulk. Paste your product titles into the lookup's Categories for a whole feed box to get a suggested category ID for each, check the picks, and download the CSV. Then add its google_product_category column to your feed or a supplemental feed.
- Where can I download the Google product taxonomy?
- Google publishes it as plain text and spreadsheet files, with or without IDs, in many languages, linked from the Merchant Center help page for google_product_category. This lookup searches the English list with IDs.
- How many Google product categories are there?
- 5,595, under 21 top-level categories. Home & Garden is the largest, with over 1,000 categories below it; Sporting Goods, Hardware and Arts & Entertainment each have about 500 to 800.
Sources
Do it with Replo
Fix the categories in your feed
Replo reads your catalog and suggests the Google product category for each product that's missing one.
Prompt: “suggest a google product category for each product missing one”
