Product Type in Google Shopping Feed: Guide + Examples 2025

When creating a Google Shopping feed, one of the most important attributes you’ll come across is the Google “product _type” attribute. While all products are automatically assigned a category by Google, using the product_type attribute gives you much more flexibility and control.

In this guide, we’ll break down the Google Product Type attribute, why it matters, and how to use it effectively to get the most out of your Google Shopping ads (Product Listing Ads).

What is Product Type Attribute in Google Shopping Feed

Product _type is an optional attribute for your Google Shopping Feed. It is a merchant-defined attribute that helps organize and categorize products. This means you can define the category that best suits your product, unlike the Google Product Category attribute, which requires merchants to select predefined categories.

For example, when using Google_product_category, you would stick to a particular path.

Say you sell clothing online and want to categorize denim jacket for women, you would follow: Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Outerwear > Jackets & Coats or something similar. This is fixed path where you pick up from the existing category. in Google

You can categorize the product_type attribute as Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Women > Apparel > Jackets > Denim. This is the path made by you — tailor it that exactly suits your product category.

Notice how you can insert ‘women’ and ‘denim jacket’ when using product_type? This method provides more flexibility and control.

Note: Multiple-level attributes are defined using the “>” sign to separate levels within the same category.

What are the levels in product types?

Level 1: This is the highest level when defining product _type, representing the broad category for your product, such as “Furniture” or “Electronics.”
Level 2: Level 2 provides a specific category within Level 1. For example, under “Home & Furniture,” level 2 could be “chair” or “dining table.”
Level 3 & beyond: You can further subdivide categories into level 3, level 4, and so on. For example, under “chair,” level 3 could be “wooden chair” and level 4 could be “swinging wooden chair”.

Benefits of using Product_type

With the product_type attribute, you have several benefits.

You can generate a sales report based on the product_type value.
You can also increase or decrease bids for a particular product group based on performance.
When you use a product _type attribute, Google matches your ads with user search queries, ensuring your ads appear for relevant queries.
Using broad product types, you can group similar products (for example, ‘Clothing > Women’s Clothing’), analyze their performance, and understand the best-performing products.
Submitting a clear, multi-level product _type, such as Electronics > Computers > Laptops > Gaming Laptops, helps Google better understand your catalog and lets you segment, bid, and report at meaningful levels in Google Ads. This approach improves ad relevance and efficiency.

Google Product Category Vs Product Type

Product_type and Google_product_category are different; product _type acts as an alternative and complementary to Google product Category. This means, you can use both the attributes.

Let’s understand them better by comparing Google Product Category vs Product Type.

Attribute	Product_type	Google_product_category
Requirement	Optional (highly recommended for campaign structure & reporting).	Optional. However, it is required for certain products (e.g., apparel in some countries) and is recommended for better categorization in Google Shopping.
Purpose	To categorize products through your taxonomy. Product_type is helpful for reporting, bidding, and campaign segmentation.	To help Google understand the product.
Naming Convention	You can create any hierarchy or naming convention you prefer.	Must follow Google’s predefined taxonomy.
Format	Text string, separated by ‘>’	Text string (category name) or numeric ID from Google’s taxonomy.
Hierarchy	Allows custom levels.	Fixed hierarchy from Google’s taxonomy list.
Limits	Character limit up to 750 characters. You can submit the value up to 5 times. Only the first value will be used to organize bidding and reporting in Shopping ad campaigns. Merchants must use a comma to separate multiple product types. Don’t use a comma (,) within an individual product _type value.	Up to 250 characters. One category per product. Must follow Google taxonomy
Example	Electronics > Computers > Laptops, Electronics >Computers > Laptops >Gaming Laptops	Electronics > Computers > Laptops or 123 (numeric ID for the same category).
How to add attribute to your Google Shopping feed?	Manually, dynamically via feed rules, or automatically via the eCommerce platform mapping.	Manually, dynamically via feed rules, or automatically via the eCommerce platform mapping.
Flexibility	Yes	Limited

How to Add Product Type to Google Shopping Feed

In this section, let’s explore manual and automatic methods to add product_type to your Google Shopping feed.

1. Add Product Type Manually

This method is ideal for merchants with fewer products, as it involves editing each product manually.

To add product_type: In your Google Merchant Center account >> go to Products >> select a product >> click Edit >> click product type >> enter the product type >> and click Apply.

After you click Apply, the status will be ‘processing’ as shown in the image below.

The following methods enable you to add the product_type attribute at scale.

2. Primary Data Source (File / XML / Google Sheets)

This method is ideal for merchants with multiple products using the following methods as the main product feed: tab-delimited text file, CSV, XML, or Google Sheets. Add a column ‘product_type’ to the file.
For hierarchical categories, remember to separate levels with ‘>.’
If you require multiple product_type values, separate them with commas.
Upload them to your Google Merchant Center using your preferred method.

3. Supplemental Feeds

Using an e-commerce platform, you can upload a supplemental feed to Google Merchant Center. You can add an extra column ‘product_type’ and upload it to Google Merchant Center. GMC will merge supplemental feeds with your primary feed based on a shared product ID.

4. Automated Feed Rules

You can also use Google Merchant Center’s automated feed rules option to add or update an existing product_type attribute.

Follow the path below to use the attribute rules feature in Google Merchant Center:

You must enable the “Advanced data source management” add-on. To log in to your Merchant Center account, go to Settings (the gear icon at the top right corner), click Add-ons, find “Advanced data source management,” and click Add to enable it.
Once the add-on is enabled, return to Settings >> click Data sources >> Find the attribute rules for a specific feed. Under the “Product sources” tab, select the particular product feed you want to edit. You will now see a tab called Attribute rules. Click on it.
From there, you can click Add attribute rule to create a new one or click on an existing attribute to edit its rules.

5. E-commerce Platform

If you’re on an E-commerce platform like Shopify, you can add product_type values inside your store and push them to your Google Merchant Center account.

For example, if you’re a Shopify merchant using a product feed management app like AdNabu, you can map the product_type attribute accurately.

Shopify’s Google & YouTube App

Open the Google & YouTube App

In your Shopify admin, go to Apps → Google & YouTube. This is where your Shopping feed data syncs to Google Merchant Center .

Go to Product Listings

Click on the “Product listings” tab inside the app. You’ll see all products currently synced or pending sync to Google.

Edit Product Attributes

Select a product (or multiple) you want to modify. Click “Edit product details” or “Edit Google fields” (wording may vary slightly depending on the version of the app).

Locate the “Product type” Field

Scroll down to the “Product data” section. You’ll find a field labeled “Product type”. This is a custom classification you can define — unlike Google’s category list, it follows your own hierarchy.

Enter Your Custom Product Type

Example:

Apparel > Women > Dresses

Home & Garden > Kitchenware > Drinkware

Electronics > Accessories > Chargers

Now, let’s explore some examples of structuring product_type for your niche.

Examples of Product Type Structuring

Here are some practical examples across different niches:

1. Fashion / Apparel

Clothing > Women> Dresses > Co-Ord Sets
Clothing > Men> T-Shirts > Graphic Tees
Accessories > Women > Jewelry > Oxidised Silver Jewelry > Earrings

2. Electronics

Apple > Watch > Accessories > Strap
Apple > iPhone Accessories > iPhone 16 Pro Max Case

3. Home & Kitchen

Home > Living Room > Cushion > 6-seater
Home & Kitchen > Kitchen Appliances > Induction Infrared Cooktops

4. Beauty & Personal Care

Beauty > Women > Skincare > Dry Skin > Moisturizers > Night Creams
Beauty > Hair Care > Unisex > Curly Hair > Shampoos > Anti-Dandruff
Beauty > Cosmetics > Lipstick > Matte Lipstick

5. Sports & Outdoors

Sports Equipment > Gym & Fitness > Cardio Equipment > Treadmills
Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Camping > Tents
Sports & Outdoors > Cycling > Bikes > Mountain Bikes

Analyze Product Performance using Product_Type in Google Ads

You can analyze the performance of your products in your Google Ads account using two methods.

1. Reports Section

In Google Ads Reports, you will notice that product_type is divided into levels, such as Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3.
You can add these dimensions in your reports to understand product performance via impressions, clicks, cost, conversions, and ROAS at each level.
To track performance, sign in to Google Ads >> click Campaigns >> Insights & reports >> Report editor >> click Shopping products.
On the left, you will see a table and several key metrics. On the right, select product levels to track performance accordingly.

Here, you can see performance broken down by product_type_l1 through product_type_l5.
This approach allows you to identify the best and the poor-performing products.

2. Products Section

You can also analyze product performance using the product_type attribute via the products section in Google Ads. For that, go to campaigns >> select a Shopping campaign >> click products >> select product types tab on the page menu. You will be able to see a table like this:

From here, you can analyze metrics such as clicks, click-through rate, product percentage, search impression share, conversions, and conversion rate.
By analyzing the data, you can identify the best-selling category and the best-selling product, and increase your Google Ads budget and bids on high-performing products.

Best Practices of Using the Product Type attribute

Use a breadcrumb with > and spaces around it: Category > Subcategory > Type.
Go from a broad category to a narrow one to help with filtering and campaign segmentation.
Remember to include all levels. For example, if your product is a conditioner for curly hair, list the whole string, such as Beauty > Hair Care > Women > Conditioner.
Google recommends that you submit only one value for each product _type. If you submit multiple values, Google considers only the first value when you use product_ type to organize bidding and reporting in Google Ads.
You can also provide the same values for Google_product_category and product_type. However, Google should ensure that it supports the product category.
Be specific and align the product_type format to Google Product Categories’ standardized taxonomy to improve visibility.
Avoid including frequently changing information, such as price, discount status, or “new arrivals.” These belong in custom labels (e.g., “Under $50,” “Clearance,” “High Margin”).
Use keywords in product_types and make them sound natural and descriptive.
Follow the same path for similar products. For example, all “Men’s Running Shoes” should have Apparel & Accessories > Shoes > Athletic Shoes > Running Shoes.
Make good use of product_type and do not duplicate the Google Product Category. For Example, if the structure for Google Product Category is Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses, for product _type, it can be: Women’s Fashion > Dresses > Cocktail Dresses.
Stick to the character limit of 750.
The best way to structure product_type is to align with your website’s category navigation.
Review performance reports by product_type and adjust bids based on performance.
Do not create overly long, inconsistent hierarchies that make it challenging to manage feeds.
Do not use generic terms like promotion or sale in the product_type structure.
For precise targeting, include material, style, or price in a multi-level product _type.
Test different product _type structures to see which drives better performance.

Conclusion

The product_type attribute is key in structuring campaigns, improving ad relevance, and optimizing bidding strategies. It offers complete flexibility to define your hierarchy, making reporting and performance analysis easier.

Here are a few takeaways:

Use product_type to generate detailed performance reports and identify top-performing product groups.
Adjust bids by analyzing product_type-based performance data.
Use a breadcrumb-style hierarchy to structure your product_type.
Align product_type with your website navigation menu.
Use keywords to boost visibility and ROAS.

FAQs

What should I do if my product _type entries are disapproved?

If your product_type is disapproved, identify the issue and review the disapproval message to understand the problem. Then, correct the issue in your product data feed and resubmit it for review.

How can I ensure my product _type attribute is consistent with my website’s categories?

Establish clear naming conventions, use structured metadata, and prioritize category-specific attributes to ensure product type attributes align with your website’s categories.

What are the benefits of using detailed product types?

Detailed product types improve ad relevance and click-through rates, allowing for better campaign management.

How can I optimize product types for better ad performance?

Use relevant keywords, follow Google’s guidelines, and structure product types to reflect product intent.

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