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# Map Google product categories

Give each group of products a Google product category once. Every feed in your store uses the same mapping.

**Use this when:** Merchant Center reports a missing or invalid category, or your products land in the wrong Shopping category.

1. [Before you start](#2-before-you-start)
2. [Map by collection or product type](#2-map-by-collection-or-product-type)
3. [Suggest categories with AI](#2-suggest-categories-with-ai)
4. [Use the mapping in a feed](#2-use-the-mapping-in-a-feed)
5. [Limits](#2-limits)

## Before you start

* Sync your products from Shopify. Groups come from your synced product data.
* Groups are your Shopify categories, product types and collections. A product with no product type has no product type group.
* Shopify category groups start as **Mapped**, with the Google category Omega Feed matches to them. You can change them.

## Map by collection or product type

1. Click **Rules** in the app menu, then click the **Category mappings** tab.
2. In **Mapping order**, drag **Shopify category**, **Product type** and **Collection** into the order you want. Each product gets the category of the first step it matches, from top to bottom.
![Category mappings tab, Mapping order card with Priority 1 to 3 and the Fallback box](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/morder_3624zu.png)
3. Under **If none match**, click **Set default category** and choose a fallback category. Leave it empty to let the channel choose.
4. In the groups table, open a tab: **Needs category**, **Shopify category**, **Product type** or **Collection**.
5. Click the edit icon in a row's **Google category** column. Search by name or ID, or browse the tree, and pick a category.
![Category mappings groups table with Group, Products, Status and Google category columns and the edit icon](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/groups_1929e9g.png)
6. To map many groups at once, check their rows. In the **Set category for N groups** bar, pick a category, or click **Remove category**.
7. Click **Save** in the save bar.

To leave a group without a category on purpose, open its picker and click **Set empty**. Omega Feed keeps it empty and does not fill it again.

The **Needs category** tab lists groups that have no category after your last save. It hides when every group is mapped.

### How a product gets its category

Omega Feed checks these in order and uses the first one that gives a category:

1. A custom value you set on the product in this feed. See [Edit one product](/en/article/edit-products-bry0z8/#2-edit-one-product).
2. A **Set attribute** rule for the Google category. See [Rule-based mapping](/en/article/customize-product-data-krtbu2/#2-rule-based-mapping).
3. Your **Mapping order**.
4. The feed's own default, if set (see below).
5. The store default under **If none match**.
6. No category. The channel chooses one.

### Examples

* Product type "T-shirt" → "Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts & Tops". Product types match without regard to case or accents, so "t-shirt" joins the same group.
* A product in two mapped collections gets the deeper category. If both are equally deep, the older collection wins.
* You rename a collection: its mapping stays. You rename a product type: it becomes a new group with status **Not set**.

## Suggest categories with AI

Omega Feed suggests a category for product type and collection groups that have none. A suggestion comes from the Shopify categories of the group's products, or from the group name.

1. On the **Category mappings** tab, find the bar "N groups have AI-suggested categories."
2. Click **Use AI suggestions**.
![AI category suggestions window with checked groups, their suggested categories and Apply all](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/ai_bw2i8o.png)
3. Review each group and its suggested category. Use **Search groups** to find one.
4. Check the groups you agree with, then click **Apply**, or click **Apply all**.

Suggestions you apply are saved at once. You don't need to click **Save** afterward.

The count covers the groups in the tab you have open. Collections that hold half of your store's products or more get no suggestion.

## Use the mapping in a feed

1. Go to **Feeds**, open your feed, and click the **Settings** tab.
2. Under **Google category**, check that **Google category source** is **Use your category mapping**. Choose **Leave blank - let the channel decide** to send no category from this feed.
![Google category field with Use your category mapping, groups mapped count and Edit mapping](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/8/3/8/3/8383e5404a31c000/gcat2_wdp7pz.png)
3. To change the mapping without leaving the feed, click **Edit mapping**. Saving in that window updates the mapping for all feeds right away.
4. To use a different fallback for this feed only, check **Override default for this feed** and pick a category.
5. Click **Save**.

## Limits

* Category mapping is free on every plan.
* One mapping per store. It uses the Google product taxonomy and sends the category ID to every channel that has a Google category field.
* Saving does not resync. Each feed uses the new mapping at its next sync.
* If Google removes a category from its taxonomy, groups mapped to it go back to **Not set**.
* The groups table shows 50 rows per page.

For per-plan details, see [Plan limits](/en/article/plan-limits-n9e5hr/).

## Related articles

* [Customize product data in your feed](/en/article/customize-product-data-krtbu2/)
* [Fix "Invalid product category" in Merchant Center](/en/article/google-merchant-center-errors-efpu57/#2-invalid-product-category)
* [Edit products](/en/article/edit-products-bry0z8/)

Need help? Chat with us from the app.