Google product taxonomy · 2021-09-21
Magazines & Newspapers
The Google product category ID for Magazines & Newspapers is 886. It sits under Media 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.
This branch3
- Category ID
- 886
- Direct subcategories
- 2
- Categories below it in total
- 2
- Depth, on a branch that runs 3
- 2 / 3
- Others at this level
- 6
- Parent category
- Media
- 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, Magazines & Newspapers is fifth largest of the 7 categories under Media, 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.
Magazines & NewspapersMagazines
The longest route down from here runs 1 more level, ending at Magazines (543539) on level 3: Magazines & Newspapers › Magazines. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Books | 784 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| DVDs & Videos | 839 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Music & Sound Recordings | 855 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
| Magazines & Newspapers — this page | 886 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Sheet Music | 887 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Product Manuals | 5037 | 9 | 9 | 1 |
| Carpentry & Woodworking Project Plans | 499995 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Using this value
Either form of this value goes in the google_product_category attribute: the numeric ID (886) or the full path ("Media > Magazines & Newspapers"). 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 | 886 |
| SKU-1001 | Your product title | Media > Magazines & Newspapers |
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, 886, is the form that does not depend on how the file is quoted.
What sits under Magazines & Newspapers
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 Magazines & Newspapers continues any further, so one of those 2 names is the most specific value this branch can give you.
Questions about Magazines & Newspapers
What is the Google product category ID for Magazines & Newspapers?
886. The full path, "Media > Magazines & Newspapers", 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 Magazines & Newspapers or one of its subcategories?
Prefer a subcategory when one fits: Magazines & Newspapers has 2 directly below it, starting with Magazines (543539), Newspapers (543540), and 2 in total further down. 886 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 Magazines & Newspapers sit in the taxonomy?
At level 2, under Media (783). The chain from the top is Media → Magazines & Newspapers. If your product does not belong under Media, it does not belong here either — check the level above before going deeper.
What should I use if Magazines & Newspapers is not quite right?
Look across the rest of Media first — there are 6 other categories at this level: Books (784), Carpentry & Woodworking Project Plans (499995), DVDs & Videos (839), Music & Sound Recordings (855), Product Manuals (5037), Sheet Music (887). If none of them fits either, the problem is higher up: go back to Media (783) 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 Magazines & Newspapers?
1 level more. The longest route down from Magazines & Newspapers is Magazines & Newspapers > Magazines, ending at Magazines (543539) on level 3. Not every branch below Magazines & Newspapers runs that far, so the category that fits your product may stop earlier than this one does.
How big is Magazines & Newspapers compared with the categories next to it?
It is fifth largest of the 7 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.
Not sure this is the one?
Describe the product and get the category with its ID, a confidence figure and the runners-up it was weighed against.
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