Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Dog Food
The Google product category ID for Dog Food is 3530. It sits under Dog Supplies and has 2 subcategories of its own, so it is a predefined value you can send as it stands — but one of those 2 is usually the closer answer, and an interior category fits when a product genuinely spans the ones below.
- Category ID
- 3530
- Direct subcategories
- 2
- Categories below it in total
- 2
- Depth, on a branch that runs 5
- 4 / 5
- Others at this level
- 10
- Parent category
- Dog Supplies
- Taxonomy version
- 2021-09-21
- Sent in your feed as
- google_product_category
Where this sits in the taxonomy
Measured by how much sits beneath them, Dog Food is the largest of the 11 categories under Dog Supplies, with 2 categories below it. Size is not correctness — a small category is the right answer when it is the right answer — but it does tell you how much of the taxonomy you are still choosing between once you pick this branch.
Dog FoodNon-prescription Dog Food
The longest route down from here runs 1 more level, ending at Non-prescription Dog Food (543682) on level 5: Dog Food › Non-prescription Dog Food. Most branches stop sooner than that — the figure to compare it against is the seven levels Google's taxonomy allows, not the depth of the branch next door.
| Category | ID | Direct | Below | Levels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dog Food — this page | 3530 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Dog Beds | 4434 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dog Apparel | 5004 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dog Toys | 5010 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dog Treats | 5011 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dog Houses | 5094 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dog Kennels & Runs | 7274 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dog Diaper Pads & Liners | 7372 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dog Kennel & Run Accessories | 7428 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dog Treadmills | 8123 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dog Diapers | 499900 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (3530) or the full path ("Animals & Pet Supplies > Pet Supplies > Dog Supplies > Dog Food"). Both are predefined values for the same category. The ID is the sturdier of the two, because renaming any segment above this one changes the path text and leaves the number alone. Before sending it, check whether one of the 2 subcategories below fits — a narrower category groups the product with fewer, closer things.
Bear in mind that google_product_category is an optional attribute. Google assigns a category automatically, and your value is treated as a signal rather than an override. When an override actually applies.
In your feed, it looks like this
Either row below is accepted. The first is the one to send.
| id | title | google_product_category |
|---|---|---|
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | 3530 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | Animals & Pet Supplies > Pet Supplies > Dog Supplies > Dog Food |
This path has no comma, so an unquoted cell holds it as it stands — which is not true of every category in the taxonomy. The numeric ID, 3530, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.
What sits under Dog Food
2 subcategories. A narrower category groups the product with fewer, closer things, so prefer one of these when it fits.
All 2 of them are leaves: none of the subcategories under Dog Food continues any further, so one of those 2 names is the most specific value this branch can give you.
Easy to mix up with
These sit under the same parent and start with the same word, which is exactly when the wrong one gets picked.
Questions about Dog Food
What is the Google product category ID for Dog Food?
3530. The full path, "Animals & Pet Supplies > Pet Supplies > Dog Supplies > Dog Food", is the same category written the other way. The ID is shorter, and renaming a segment above this one changes the path text while leaving the number alone.
Should I use Dog Food or one of its subcategories?
Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Dog Food has 2 directly below it, starting with Non-prescription Dog Food (543682), Prescription Dog Food (543681), and 2 in total further down. 3530 is itself a predefined value, so an interior category is not an error — it just groups the product more broadly than a subcategory would.
Where does Dog Food sit in the taxonomy?
At level 4, under Dog Supplies (5). The chain from the top is Animals & Pet Supplies → Pet Supplies → Dog Supplies → Dog Food. If your product does not belong under Dog Supplies, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Dog Food is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Dog Supplies first — there are 10 other categories at this level: Dog Apparel (5004), Dog Beds (4434), Dog Diaper Pads & Liners (7372), Dog Diapers (499900), Dog Houses (5094), Dog Kennel & Run Accessories (7428), and 4 more. If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Dog Supplies (5) and pick a different branch from there rather than settling for the closest thing on this one.
How much more specific can I get than Dog Food?
1 level more. The longest route down from Dog Food is Dog Food > Non-prescription Dog Food, ending at Non-prescription Dog Food (543682) on level 5. Not every branch below Dog Food runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.
How big is Dog Food compared with the categories next to it?
It is the largest of the 11 at its level, carrying 2 categories below it. A bigger category is not a better one — it just means more of the taxonomy is still open below you after you pick it.
What is the difference between Dog Food and Dog Apparel?
They sit side by side under Dog Supplies and start with the same word, which is why they get swapped. Dog Food is 3530; Dog Apparel is 5004. The paths are the reliable way to tell them apart — compare "Animals & Pet Supplies > Pet Supplies > Dog Supplies > Dog Food" with "Animals & Pet Supplies > Pet Supplies > Dog Supplies > Dog Apparel" before you submit.
Not sure this is the one?
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