{"id":6537,"date":"2026-10-19T08:45:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T06:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trienekensonline.com\/?p=6537"},"modified":"2026-10-19T08:45:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T06:45:13","slug":"categorizing-channels-in-google-shopping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trienekensonline.com\/en\/channable-categoriseren-google-shopping\/","title":{"rendered":"Do you have to categorize thousands of products yourself for Google Shopping?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You sell hundreds or thousands of products, you send them to Google Shopping via Channable, and in the category step you get stuck. Does every product really need its own Google category? And why is the Merchant Center, the place where Google checks your product feed, full of notifications? The short answer: not one at a time. But there are places where it does matter.<\/p>\n\n\n

Should every product have a Google category?<\/h2>\n\n\n

No. Google calls the product category an optional feature. If you don\u2019t provide it, Google will choose a category from its own classification system. To do this, Google looks at your title and description, as well as your price, brand, and GTIN, the manufacturer\u2019s barcode.<\/p>\n\n\n

That also means: the clearer your product data is, the better Google will do itself. If your title is vague, your product could end up in a too general category.<\/p>\n\n\n

When the category does count<\/h2>\n\n\n

According to Google, adding a category makes sense in three cases: when a category requires additional characteristics; when you want to target your product categories in Google Ads; and when it comes to alcohol.<\/p>\n\n\n

For a webshop, the second most important thing is this. If you want to target your campaigns by product group, you need an organization that works.<\/p>\n\n\n

Where the objections really come from<\/h2>\n\n\n

If products are listed in red in Merchant Center, first check for missing or incorrect values. Missing categories are not a problem; they are optional. A missing or incorrect GTIN can make your product less visible. Without a unique product ID, a product may not be suitable for all parts of Shopping. And for clothing and accessories, Google requires additional features, such as age groups.<\/p>\n\n\n

You cannot solve such problems by categorizing them. You solve them by filling in the missing values, and with a large assortment you do that using rules.<\/p>\n\n\n

Four ways to categorize in Channable<\/h2>\n\n\n

In the category step of a feed, Channable gives you four ways to categorize products. Products that don\u2019t yet fall into any category can be found in the Uncategorized items tab.<\/p>\n\n\n