Section 9 — Attributes Tab
Purpose of the Attributes Tab
The Attributes tab contains structured, machine-readable product attributes used primarily by search engines, shopping platforms, and automated discovery systems (such as Google Shopping, structured search, and AI-based crawlers).
Unlike the Product tab (which is human-facing) and the Gallery (which provides a comparative overview), the Attributes tab exists to ensure semantic accuracy, classification correctness, and eligibility for external indexing systems.
This tab is not designed for heavy manual editing and should be treated as a verification and exception-handling interface, not a content-creation workspace.
How Attributes Are Generated
Most attribute values are:
- Derived from your existing catalog data
- Normalized against known taxonomies (e.g., Google Product taxonomy)
- Inferred using deterministic rules based on product type, category, and metadata
- Validated to ensure compliance with external indexing requirements
CatalogPilot fills as much attribute data as possible automatically to minimize merchant workload and reduce the risk of inconsistent or speculative data.
Understanding Field States and Colors
Attributes use visual cues to communicate confidence and editability:
- Green outline
Indicates a value that has been confidently determined and validated.
These fields typically do not require merchant intervention. - Yellow outline
Indicates an optional or indeterminate field.
These values are not required and should only be filled if the merchant has verified, factual information.
Merchants are never expected to invent or guess attribute values.
Availability & Condition (Standardized Fields)
Availability and Condition are the only attributes that explicitly follow standardized Google-required formats.
These fields use dropdown selections rather than free text.
Tooltip guidance:
These fields use standardized Google values. Availability and Condition follow Google’s required formats to ensure correct indexing and eligibility in search and shopping results.
If your platform already manages these values correctly, you may leave them unchanged.
Editing Attributes (When to Edit — and When Not To)
Editing is available throughout the Attributes tab, but editing should be the exception, not the norm.
Appropriate reasons to edit include:
- Correcting a clearly incorrect inferred value
- Adding verified information that was not available in the source catalog
- Aligning with known manufacturer or compliance data
Editing is not recommended for:
- Guessing missing values
- Over-optimizing for keywords
- Adding speculative or marketing language
- Forcing completeness where certainty does not exist
CatalogPilot prioritizes accuracy over completeness.
Original vs Approved Content
As with other tabs:
- The original-content icon allows you to quickly reference the source value from your platform.
- The edit icon enables manual override when needed.
- If a field is left untouched, the approved CatalogPilot value remains active.
All edits remain reversible and do not permanently overwrite platform data.
Google Product Category & Google Product Type
These fields reflect structured classification paths used by external systems.
They are critical for:
- Shopping feed eligibility
- Correct product grouping
- AI and crawler understanding
CatalogPilot automatically assigns these based on established taxonomies.
Manual changes should only be made if you are certain the default classification is incorrect.
Key Principle
The Attributes tab exists to support machines — not to create extra work for humans.
If a value is green and looks reasonable, leave it.
If a value is yellow and you know the answer with certainty, you may add it.
If you are unsure, it is better to leave the field empty than to guess.
