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🎥 Watch the Full Video: Google Shopping Product Types (Part 1)

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Product feeds are the lifeblood of successful Google Shopping campaigns—and while attributes like title and price get the spotlight, product type quietly plays a crucial supporting role. Understanding product type isn’t just about checking a box; it’s about teaching Google's algorithm how you categorize your products, and why that matters for better ad performance.

In this video, we break down what product type actually does, how it differs from Google product category (hint: they’re not the same thing), and why a smart product type strategy can impact everything from bidding to PMax segmentation. If you want to optimize your Shopping campaigns beyond surface-level tweaks, this attribute is absolutely worth your time.

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Video Part 1 Transcript (Edited for Readability)

Hey Merchant Center Mastery friends—welcome back to another episode! This channel is dedicated to helping you crush your Google Merchant Center game with tactical tips and deep dives into each product attribute.

Today, we’re covering an important (but often misunderstood) attribute: product type.

First, a quick reminder: Google changes feed attribute policies over time. Years ago, for instance, Google Product Category used to be required—now it's optional. So it’s a good habit to keep tabs on these updates.

Alright, onto product type. Here's the key thing:
Product type and Google product category are NOT the same thing.

• Google product category = Google's classification system (you pick from Google's options).
• Product type = Your classification system (you tell Google how your products are organized).

That’s why Google eventually dropped the requirement for product category—it wasn’t always as helpful as merchants hoped. In fact, Googlers have confirmed that product type is often more useful for understanding a merchant's inventory structure.

Even better, product type now directly impacts Google's bidding algorithm, affecting how your products are evaluated in PMax and Shopping campaigns.

Best practices for product type:

• Mirror your site’s navigation or backend taxonomy.
• Think general → specific (e.g., "Phone Accessories > Phone Mounts > Cycling Mounts").
• Avoid commas inside a product type path—use > as separators.
• You can attach supplemental product types, but only the first one is used for bidding segmentation.

Pro tip: Segment your campaigns or asset groups by product type when possible. Product type reflects natural buying audiences (e.g., off-road truck gear vs. cycling gear), allowing you to better match creative assets, audience insights, and intent signals inside PMax.

If you treat product type seriously, you'll give Google more accurate signals—and create smarter, more profitable campaign structures.

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If you’ve spent any time managing Google Shopping feeds, you’ve probably noticed this one subtle, often-overlooked attribute quietly shaping your campaign structure: product type. On paper, it seems simple—just classify your product, right? But in reality, product type is one of the most flexible and underutilized tools for helping Google understand your catalog the way you do.

In this video, we’re diving deep into how to build a product type taxonomy that scales, adapts to new products, and actually improves campaign segmentation. Whether you’re syncing through Simprosys, running a Shopify store, or wrangling thousands of SKUs, this episode gives you practical, real-world tips for balancing dynamic systems with ideal categorization—and why it’s worth the effort.

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Video Part 2 Transcript (Edited for Readability)

How should you build a product type structure in Google Merchant Center?
It’s a balancing act—on one side, you want dynamically updated product types that adapt to new SKUs. On the other, you want structured, intentional categorizations that give Google better context.

For clients on Shopify, we often recommend migrating to the Simprosys app, which can automatically sync Shopify product types into Merchant Center. Be cautious, though—feed transitions are tricky. Even a well-done switch can temporarily hurt performance if not handled carefully.

That said, product types synced from Shopify (or other feed apps) often come through as single-word categories like “Marine” or “Cycling.” These aren't wrong, but they’re rarely descriptive enough for powerful segmentation or reporting. If you’re working with a large product catalog and a small budget, keeping the dynamic sync might be the best trade-off. But even then, make sure to monitor new products and maintain campaign coverage.

Pro tip: Use an “Everything Else” ad group to catch newly added products. It acts like a safety net to ensure nothing gets lost when product types shift.

If you can go the extra mile, building a custom taxonomy (e.g., “Cycling > Accessories > Phone Mounts > Road Bike Phone Mounts”) gives Google clearer intent signals and unlocks stronger campaign segmentation and reporting. Plus, descriptive product types act a little like keyword stuffing for feeds—which still helps with relevance.

Remember: Google recommends at least three tiers in product types for maximum effectiveness. So think big picture, build deep structures, and don't be afraid to get granular. The more context you give Google, the smarter your Shopping campaigns will perform.

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