In this article you'll learn how to add and edit product categories in your online store.

Product categories can be created and edited via the product category menu in the sidebar on the Products page.

  1. To create a new product category, go to the Products page and click Add category.
  2. To edit an already existing product category, select its name in the menu, and then click Edit category in product category details.
  3. Enter the product category details into the form.
  4. Save the form.

Fields in the product category form

  • Name: provide a descriptive name for the product category that makes it clear what kind of products it contains. The product category name will be displayed in your online store's menu that your customers use to navigate your store.
  • Show in version: select the store and language versions in which the product category should be visible.

    You must select at least one store version for the product category to be visible in your online store's customer area. The product category must also be visible for its products to appear in search engine results.

  • Description: provide a short presentation of the product category, in which you'll describe its products in general.

    It is a good idea to take extra care when writing the description, as it contributes to the product category's search engine visibility and can help create an expert image for your online store.

  • Show in category: select the product category under which the new product category should be located in the menu. You can reorder your store's product categories at any time.
  • Display type: the display type defines what the product category will look like in your online store's customer area. The two display types' appearance and properties also depend on your store theme.

    You can choose from three different views:

    • Front page: Available only for the front page, that is the top-level product category. In the Barebones theme, the front page displays the store's newest and most popular products.

      There's also a banner spot (frontpage) at the top of the front page.

    • Display window: In the Barebones theme, the display window includes a product category's own products as well as the newest and most popular products from all of the category's subcategories.
    • Product list: In the Barebones theme, the product list is a list of the product category's own products that can be filtered and organized in different ways.

    Additionally, the display window and product list also display the product category's campaign image as a banner, and an additional, larger banner can be assigned to each product category.

    Find out more about banner areas in the Barebones theme.

  • Featured category: you can mark the product category as featured so that it will be displayed on the list of featured product categories. In the default theme, they appear on the front page and in product categories for the display window type. Featured product categories also gain more prominence in search engines (their <priority> value in sitemap.xml is greater than the value of other product categories in your online store).
  • Campaign image: you can add a campaign image to the product category. The image will then be displayed at the top of the product category page in the customer area.
  • Campaign link: if you provide a link in this field, visitors will be redirected to the link's destination when they click the campaign image.
  • External identifier: here you can provide the product category's identifier in an external system or integration.

    The external identifier can be used, for example, to add a product to the correct product category in an external system (even if the category's location in the menu has changed) and to synchronize the product category tree between different systems.

Search engine optimization

If you have installed the Web Designer extension, you will see the Search engine optimization section, where you can define a heading and meta description to be shown in search engine results.

Find out more about optimizing your MyCashflow online store for search engines ›

Template file

If you've enabled the Web Designer extension, you'll also see the section Template file in the form, where you can select a custom template (if available in your online store's theme) for the page.

Learn more about creating custom templates.