This documentation is for BigCommerce stores that do not have Multi-Storefront enabled. If you have Multi-Storefront, please click here for the documentation for Multi-Storefront stores.
CopyCat Category Duplicator allows you to duplicate or copy a category in your BigCommerce store, CopyCat Category Duplicator also sets up canonical tags, to help with duplicate content, you will need to reference the article how to edit your theme to get Canonicals to show.
Step 1: Launch the Tool & Select Copy / Sync Options
To begin, launch CopyCat Category Duplicator from the tile on the Your Store Tools dashboard.
Select the category you want to copy or sync from the dropdown. This dropdown will show both parent and child categories, as well as ones that are visible or marked as hidden. You can also use the search box to find a specific category.
Once your selection is made, you will need to select whether you'd like this CopyCat to sync with the original, or just be a copy. There are very distinct differences between a sync and a copy, so please choose the correct one:
- Sync with the original category will allow the CopyCat to always be an exact duplicate of the original category. Once a day, the app will look for changes on the original category and apply those changes to the CopyCat. For example, if you add or remove products in the original category, those products will automatically be added or removed from the CopyCat when the app performs its daily sync.
- Just copy the category creates a CopyCat of the original category and will never sync with the original. For example, if you add or remove products in the original category, you will need to manually add or remove those products on the CopyCat.
Once your sync or copy choice is set, continue to set the other options for the CopyCat, which include:
- Choose a parent category or leave blank to copy to the storefront root – Choose a category from the drop-down menu to specify where the CopyCat will reside. If you do not select a parent, the CopyCat will reside in the root category structure.
- Name – By default, the name field is populated with the original category name followed by a numeral. You can enter your own unique name for the CopyCat in this field.
- URL – By default, a URL based on the original category name, followed by a numeral, is created. We recommend changing the URL to something more unique and SEO-friendly. The URL path should be relative, not the full URL, but please make sure it begins with a “/”
- Description – We recommend a unique, well-written description of what your shoppers can find in this category. Please note: if you choose to have this CopyCat sync with the original, the description will remain unique.
- Meta Title – Enter a title for the category which will be placed in the meta title field in the page header.
- Meta Description – Enter a description that will be placed in the meta description field in the page header.
- Would you like to copy the category image – If the category you’re copying has an image associated with it, you can choose to copy that image over to the new category, or upload a unique one.
- Image Preview – If the category you’re copying has an image associated with it, a preview of the image will be shown here. You can also upload a new image for the new category from here.
Once all your options are set, click Submit.
Step 2: View the CopyCat in Your Store
Once your CopyCat is created, you can view the category in your store by navigating to Products > Categories.
To avoid duplicate content penalties, CopyCats that are set to sync have a canonical link tag placed in the Meta Keywords field, which is viewable under SEO settings. It is recommended that this tag is NOT REMOVED. If you haven't already, please learn how to edit your theme to get Canonicals to show.
CopyCats that do not sync, will not have canonicals added.
How to Set the Daily Sync Time
CopyCats that are set to sync, will be synced with the original one time per day. This time can be set by accessing the stacked menu from the CopyCat Category Duplicator tile on the Your Store's Dashboard and selecting Sync Settings.
From here you can set the hour, based on the timezone you have set in your Company Profile in Your Store Tools, when CopyCats will be synced daily.
Once you have selected the time, click Submit.
Please note, if you cancel your subscription to CopyCat Category Duplicator, the CopyCats you created will not be deleted from your store, and they will no longer be synced with the original.
How to Set the Text Editor Type
By default, the WYSIWYG HTML editor is used for the description text area when setting up a new CopyCat, as shown here:
You can choose to have this set to a plain text editor:
The editor type can be set by accessing the stacked menu from the CopyCat Category Duplicator tile on the Your Store's Dashboard and selecting Sync Settings.
Choose either the HTML or Text editor from the drop-down and click Submit.
How to View or Edit a CopyCat's Settings
You can view and edit the settings for any CopyCat in your store by choosing View Categories from the stacked menu for the CopyCat Category Duplicator app from the Your Store Tools Dashboard.
Once launched, you'll see a listing of all CopyCats you've created:
This listing includes:
- Name - the name of the CopyCat category in your store.
- Original Category ID - the BigCommerce category id for the original category that was used to create the CopyCat.
- Copied/Synced Category ID - the BigCommerce category id for the CopyCat.
- Type - the type of CopyCat, either one that syncs with the original, or one that is a copy and does not sync.
- Last Synced At - the last time a synced CopyCat synced with the original.
By accessing the stacked menu next to each CopyCat, additional options can be found:
These options include:
- Edit Synced or Copied Category in BC - click this to go to the CopyCat in the backend of your BigCommerce store.
- Edit Original Category in BC - click this to go to the original category in the backend of your BigCommerce store.
- Go to Synced or Copied Category in BC - click this to go to the CopyCat on your live store.
- Delete - click this to delete the CopyCat in your BigCommerce store. This action is NOT recoverable.
If you want to edit the settings for a specific CopyCat, click Edit. This will bring up the editor where you can change the settings you originally set for the CopyCat in Step 2 above.
Important Note: If you are changing your CopyCat from “sync” to “copy,” you will need to remove the canonical link in the Meta Keywords field in your BigCommerce store as this is not done automatically.
Once your edits are complete, click Submit.
Did you find an error or need additional support? Contact us at support@yourstorewizards.com to let us know!