Google Product Taxonomy Mapping
Available since v2.0
Assign standardised product categories to your store's PrestaShop categories so Meta can correctly classify your products for shopping ads and dynamic retargeting campaigns.
Overview
Meta's product catalogue uses Google's standardised product taxonomy — a hierarchy of approximately 5,000 categories maintained by Google (for example, "Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Dresses" or "Electronics > Cameras > Digital Cameras"). When your products are correctly categorised, Meta can show them to people browsing by product interest, not only to people who already visited your site.
The taxonomy mapping panel downloads Google's official category list directly from Google's servers and lets you draw a bridge between your PrestaShop categories and the Google taxonomy. Once mapped, the taxonomy ID flows into pixel events as content_category and into product catalogue feeds exported from this module. This is especially valuable for Shopping ads and for broadening your reach beyond pure retargeting audiences.
You can also use this panel to exclude specific categories from your product catalogue feed entirely, without affecting any pixel events on those pages.
Configuration
- Go to Modules > Module Manager > Pixel Plus for Facebook > Configure.
- Scroll down to the Google Product Category Association panel.
- If the taxonomy list has not been downloaded yet, the panel triggers an automatic download on first load. The module fetches the taxonomy file in your store's default language and saves it locally in the module's
downloads/folder. - Your full PrestaShop category tree appears. Expand branches by clicking folder icons to navigate sub-categories.
- For each category you want to map, click in the text field next to the category name, start typing a keyword, and select the matching Google taxonomy entry from the autocomplete list that appears.
- To map several categories to the same taxonomy at once, check the checkbox next to each category name, then scroll to the Massive category association box at the bottom of the panel, type the shared taxonomy there, and click Update Categories.
- If any category should be excluded from your Meta product catalogue feed, check the Excluded box in the category row.
- Click Update Categories to save.
How It Works
Think of this as a translation table between your store's category structure and Meta's classification system. Your PrestaShop category "Women's Shoes" means something to your customers, but Meta's ad delivery system uses Google's standardised taxonomy IDs to understand what type of product is in a catalogue. By mapping "Women's Shoes" to Apparel & Accessories > Shoes > Women's Shoes, you're giving Meta's algorithm a precise signal to match against shopping intent.
Taxonomy file download
The taxonomy file is downloaded automatically on first use and stored locally on your server. The autocomplete search works entirely from this local file — no internet connection is required once the download is complete. Google refreshes the taxonomy periodically, so the module automatically re-downloads the file if it is more than 90 days old. You can also trigger a fresh download manually by navigating away and returning to the configure page.
If your server language is Spanish, French, or another supported locale, the module tries to download the taxonomy in that language first. If no localised version is available on Google's servers, it falls back to English (en-US).
Taxonomy ID in pixel events
When a shopper views a product or category page, the module reads the product's default category, looks up its mapped Google taxonomy ID in the fpf_cat database table, and includes it as content_category in the corresponding pixel event (ViewContent, AddToCart, and so on). Unmapped categories do not cause errors — content_category will be empty in that case.
Excluded categories
Marking a category as Excluded records that flag in the fpf_cat table. Catalogue feed exports skip any product whose primary category is flagged as excluded. Pixel events on those product pages are not affected — ViewContent, AddToCart, and Purchase still fire normally.
Massive category association
When multiple categories share the same taxonomy, the fastest approach is to tick the checkboxes for all those categories and use the Massive category association box at the bottom of the panel to apply a single taxonomy entry to all of them in one save.
Usage Examples
Example: Fashion store mapping apparel categories
Your store has categories like "Men's T-Shirts", "Women's Dresses", and "Kids' Jackets". Map each to the corresponding Google taxonomy path — for instance, map "Men's T-Shirts" to Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts & Tops. Meta can now match your catalogue items to people showing interest in those specific apparel segments, improving reach beyond your existing site visitors.
Example: Excluding gift wrapping from the feed
You sell a "Gift Wrapping" service product that should not appear as a shoppable item in Meta. Open the taxonomy panel, find the "Gift Wrapping" category, check its Excluded box, and save. The product remains available on your site and still triggers normal pixel events — it simply disappears from catalogue feed exports.
Example: Electronics store using the massive association tool
You have 12 accessory sub-categories (phone cases, cables, chargers, screen protectors, and so on) that all map to Electronics > Communications > Phone Accessories. Tick the checkbox next to each of those 12 categories, then type the taxonomy path in the Massive category association box and save. All 12 categories are updated in one action.
Important Notes
- The taxonomy file language is determined by your store's default language at the time of download. Changing the language after download does not update the file automatically — you need to delete the existing file from
modules/facebookconversiontrackingplus/downloads/to trigger a fresh download in the new language. - The module automatically refreshes the local taxonomy file if it is older than 90 days. If you need to force a refresh sooner, delete the
.txtfile from thedownloads/folder. - Mappings are stored per-shop. In a multi-shop setup, each shop maintains its own set of category-to-taxonomy mappings.
- For products assigned to multiple categories, the module uses the product's default category to resolve the taxonomy ID.
- The Excluded flag only affects catalogue feed exports. Pixel tracking events on those product pages continue to fire as normal.
- Unmapped categories do not cause errors — pixel events simply omit the
content_categoryparameter for those products. - The
fpf_cattable is shared with the Products Feed module if you have it installed. Both modules read from and write to the same table, so mappings configured here are available to the feed export automatically.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| No autocomplete suggestions appear when typing | The taxonomy file may not have downloaded correctly. Check that the modules/facebookconversiontrackingplus/downloads/ folder exists and is writable by your web server. Try reloading the configure page to trigger a fresh download. |
| Taxonomy download fails on page load | Your server needs outbound HTTP access to www.google.com. Some managed hosting providers block outbound requests — contact your host and ask them to allow connections to that domain. |
| Products appear in the Meta catalogue without a category | Those products are in PrestaShop categories that have not been mapped yet. Map all categories containing products you want in the catalogue. |
| The wrong Google category name appears in the autocomplete | The local taxonomy file may be outdated. Delete the .txt file in modules/facebookconversiontrackingplus/downloads/ and reload the configure page to re-download the latest version from Google. |
| A category's products still appear in the Meta feed after exclusion | Make sure you saved after checking the Excluded box. Also confirm the product's default category in the product sheet — the exclusion only applies to products whose default category is the excluded one. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to map every single category in my store?
No. You only need to map the categories that contain products you want to include in your Meta product catalogue. Categories that are not in your feed do not require a mapping. That said, more thorough mapping gives Meta better signals for shopping intent targeting and ad delivery.
The taxonomy does not have an exact match for my product category — what should I use?
Choose the closest parent or related category. For example, if you sell handmade ceramic mugs and there is no exact match, Home & Garden > Kitchen & Dining > Cookware or Arts & Entertainment > Hobbies & Creative Arts > Pottery & Ceramic Making is a reasonable fit. Approximate matches are still useful — they are far better than leaving the field blank.
Will excluding a category affect my pixel events?
No. Excluding a category only removes those products from catalogue feed exports. All pixel events — ViewContent, AddToCart, Purchase — continue to fire normally for products in excluded categories.
How does taxonomy mapping work with multi-language stores?
Taxonomy mappings are stored as numeric Google taxonomy IDs, not as text labels, so they work across all languages in your store. The taxonomy file itself is downloaded in your store's default admin language, but the IDs it stores are language-neutral.
Why is there no suggestion showing for a category I know exists in the Google taxonomy?
The autocomplete searches the local taxonomy file. If the file is outdated, some categories added in recent Google taxonomy updates may be missing. Delete the existing .txt file in modules/facebookconversiontrackingplus/downloads/ and reload the configure page to download the latest version.
Does taxonomy mapping apply to products in multiple categories?
Yes, but only the product's default category is used to resolve the taxonomy ID. If a product belongs to both 'Dresses' and 'Sale Items', the taxonomy for whichever category is set as the default category in the product sheet will be used.
Related Features
- Microdata — Structured data injected on product pages also uses category information and complements the taxonomy mapping for richer product signals.