Free tool
Which category does your product belong in?
Google and AI shopping agents sort products by category, and a missing or broad one costs you reach. Type a product name and we match it against Google's product taxonomy and Shopify's standard product taxonomy, with the IDs to paste in.
How it matches
Official taxonomies, plain word matching
We compare the words in your product name with the name of every category in Google product taxonomy (version 2021-09-21) and Shopify standard product taxonomy (release v2026-08). A category whose name appears in yours scores highest, longer and more specific names beat shorter ones, and main categories beat niche namesakes. Plurals are folded and a few everyday words are understood (“tee”, “trainers”).
There's no AI in it, so the same words always give the same answer, and the matched words are shown. A title packed with extra words matches less cleanly than a plain product name: try the product type alone. The full audit checks every product's category and product type. See the check →
Do I need a Google product category?
Google assigns one automatically when you don't send one, and often picks a broad or wrong category that limits where your product shows. Sending the most specific category, as the google_product_category attribute (the ID or the full path), helps Google match the product, and some categories carry extra requirements, such as apparel's color, size, gender and age group.
What's the difference between Shopify's category and Google's?
Shopify's standard product taxonomy is what the Product category field in your admin uses. It drives Shopify's channels and the catalog AI shopping agents search. Google's taxonomy is what Merchant Center feeds use. They overlap but aren't identical, so a product has one of each; Shopify's Google channel maps between them for you.
Which level of the category should I pick?
The most specific one that is still true. “Socks” is better than “Underwear & Socks”, and “Snowboards” is better than “Winter Sports & Activities”. A narrow category gives Google and AI agents more to go on, and it unlocks category-specific attributes.
See everything Google and AI agents read
The full audit runs every check on your flagship products, scores your catalog for Google Shopping and AI shopping agents, and rebuilds your five worst products. Free, in about a minute.
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