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How to manage categories, tags, brands, and attributes

Manage categories, tags, brands, and global attribute terms from the dashboard. Shoppers still browse archives on WooCommerce. Assigning a term to a product happens on the product editor or Spreadsheet Editing, not here.

What it is

In the sidebar, open Store, then Taxonomies. The page title is Taxonomies. The subtitle is Manage your store’s categories, tags, brands, and global attributes. Desktop tabs are Categories, Tags, Brands, and Attributes. Default is Categories. On a phone the tabs collapse into a Select. Create, edit, and delete write to WooCommerce. The four tabs are fixed. You cannot add a fifth taxonomy type here.

How it helps you

You keep category, tag, brand, and attribute terms in one dashboard instead of hopping through WordPress screens. You can add a parent, an image, Yoast fields on categories and tags, and Generate with AI when you need copy. Shoppers still see the archives on WooCommerce.

What is included

  • Empty and loading: Loading copy is Loading… Empty table copy is No data. With no store connected, lists return empty. Writes then fail with No store connected.
  • Search: Placeholder Search… Max 200 characters. Categories, tags, brands, and attribute values filter the open list. On the Attributes list, search is local on name or slug. It does not search values until you open an attribute.
  • Categories: Desktop heading Product Categories. Button New category (phone: plus icon, aria New category). Columns: Name (thumbnail or placeholder, click the name to edit), Slug, Parent (hyphen if none), Products, then row actions. Phone: expandable card with checkbox, name, and chevron. Expanded: Edit, View, Delete.
  • New category / Edit category: Helper: Changes are saved directly to the store in WooCommerce. Fields: Name (max 120), Slug (max 120, placeholder Auto-generated if empty), Parent category (Select, first option – None -), Description (max 5000), Featured image (No image, Upload image, Remove image, Or enter an ID from the media library, Remove, max 20MB). Yoast fields always show: SEO title, Meta description, Focus keyword. They stay empty if Yoast is missing on the store. Description and the three Yoast fields each have Generate with AI. It is disabled until Name has text (tooltip Enter a name first). While running: Generating… Toast New content generated. It consumes AI credits. Cancel and Save. Toast Saved.
  • Tags: Desktop heading Product Tags. New tag / Edit tag. Columns: Name, Slug, Products. No parent. No featured image. Yoast and Generate with AI work like categories. Cancel and Save. Toast Saved.
  • Brands: Desktop heading Product Brands. New brand / Edit brand. Columns: Name (thumbnail), Slug, Parent, Products. Dialog: Name, Slug, Parent category (same label as categories), Description, Featured image. No Yoast. No Generate with AI. WooDonkey shows product_brand or Perfect WooCommerce Brands here, not a brand attribute. A brand attribute such as pa_מותג stays under Attributes. Companion 1.372.0 reads and writes those brand terms. If the store has no brands taxonomy, the tab shows only: This store has no Brands taxonomy. WooDonkey shows product_brand or Perfect WooCommerce Brands here, not a brand attribute.
  • Attributes list: Desktop heading Product Attributes. New attribute opens an inline Attribute name field, then Create and Cancel. Toast Attribute created. The new attribute then opens. Columns: Name, Slug, Values (term count), Open. No bulk checkboxes on this list. It does not auto-open the first attribute.
  • Attribute details: Back link All attributes. Card heading Attribute details. Fields: Name, Slug, Type (select, text), Default sort order (menu_order, name, name_num, id). Delete attribute and Save. Save stays disabled until you change a field. Toast Attribute updated. There is no Enable archives checkbox.
  • Attribute values: Heading Values – then the attribute name. New value / Edit value. Columns: Name, Slug, Products. Dialog: Name, Slug, Description only. No parent, no image, no Yoast, no Generate with AI.
  • Bulk delete: Checkboxes on categories, tags, brands, and attribute values. Header checkbox is Select all. Bar: N selected, Delete, Cancel. Title Delete N items? Body: This will delete the records in WooCommerce. This can’t be undone. Cancel and Delete. Toast Deleted N items.
  • Single delete: Trash. Title Delete – “Name”? Attribute uses Delete attribute as the title. Body: This will delete the record in WooCommerce. This can’t be undone. Cancel and Delete. Toast Deleted. Attribute deleted toast after deleting the whole attribute.
  • View page on site: External link when the term has an archive URL.
  • Local copy: Categories and tags read the local copy first, then live WooCommerce REST. Save writes to WooCommerce immediately and updates the local copy. A term created only in WordPress appears after Sync changes or Sync everything on Settings, Store data sync. There is no Sync Taxonomies button. Companion fallback is used when the store WAF blocks datacenter calls. Companion is not required to open Categories, Tags, or Attributes.
  • Not on this page: No assign product to a term, shipping classes, product type, product visibility, or Export CSV. No pagination control. Live category and tag fetch is 100 per page internally, up to 20 pages.

How to turn on and manage each capability

Open Taxonomies

  1. In the sidebar, open Store.
  2. Click Taxonomies.

Switch tabs

  1. On desktop, click Categories, Tags, Brands, or Attributes.
  2. On a phone, open the Select and pick the same label.

Create or edit a category

  1. On Categories, click New category, or click a name to edit.
  2. Enter Name. Optionally set Slug, Parent category, Description, Featured image, SEO title, Meta description, and Focus keyword.
  3. To draft copy, click Generate with AI on Description or a Yoast field after Name has text. Wait for New content generated.
  4. Click Save. WooCommerce gets the term immediately.

Create or edit a tag

  1. Open Tags, then click New tag or a name.
  2. Enter Name, optional Slug, Description, and Yoast fields. Use Generate with AI after Name has text if you want copy.
  3. Click Save.

Create or edit a brand

  1. Open Brands. If you see This store has no Brands taxonomy…, stop. A brand attribute belongs under Attributes.
  2. Click New brand or a name. Set Name, optional Slug, Parent category, Description, and Featured image. There is no Generate with AI on brands.
  3. Click Save.

Create an attribute and add a value

  1. Open Attributes. Click New attribute.
  2. Type the name in Attribute name, then click Create. The attribute opens. Set Type and Default sort order if you need to, then click Save.
  3. Under Values, click New value. Enter Name, optional Slug and Description, then click Save.

Delete terms

  1. For one row, click the trash icon. Read This will delete the record in WooCommerce. This can’t be undone. Click Delete or Cancel.
  2. For many rows on Categories, Tags, Brands, or attribute values, check the boxes (or Select all), click Delete, then confirm Delete N items?

What to know before you start

  • Save writes to WooCommerce immediately. Delete cannot be undone.
  • Assign products on the product editor or Spreadsheet Editing. This page only manages the terms.
  • Yoast fields on categories and tags always show. They stay empty if Yoast is missing.
  • Generate with AI needs a Name first and consumes AI credits. Brands and attribute values have no Generate with AI.
  • Brands needs product_brand or Perfect WooCommerce Brands. Companion 1.372.0 reads and writes those terms. A pa_ attribute is still an attribute.
  • Companion is not required to open Categories, Tags, or Attributes. There is no shortcode.
  • There is no Sync Taxonomies button. Use Sync changes or Sync everything on Settings, Store data sync, if a WordPress-only term is missing.

Problems you may hit, and how to fix them

  • Symptom: The list says No data. Fix: Connect a store if you have none. If the store is connected, that taxonomy has no terms yet, or the local copy is empty. Run Sync changes on Settings, Store data sync.
  • Symptom: Brands shows This store has no Brands taxonomy. Fix: Expected when the store has no product_brand or Perfect WooCommerce Brands taxonomy. A brand attribute stays under Attributes.
  • Symptom: Generate with AI is disabled. Fix: Enter Name first. The tooltip is Enter a name first.
  • Symptom: Attribute Save is disabled. Fix: Change Name, Slug, Type, or Default sort order first.
  • Symptom: Search on the Attributes list misses a value. Fix: Open the attribute, then search under Values.
  • Symptom: A deleted term is gone from WooCommerce. Fix: Delete writes to WooCommerce and cannot be undone. Recreate the term if you still need it.
  • Symptom: A term created in WordPress is missing here. Fix: Open Settings, Store data sync, then click Sync changes or Sync everything.
  • Symptom: You cannot attach a product from this page. Fix: Expected. Open the product editor or Spreadsheet Editing.

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