Zscaler Site Review: How URL Categorization Works and How to Fix a Miscategorized Site
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Quick answer: Zscaler Site Review (sitereview.zscaler.com) is Zscaler's URL category lookup tool. Enter a URL to see which category Zscaler assigns it, and if it looks wrong, submit it for review. While the review is pending, the fastest fix for users is a custom URL category in your own policy that overrides the default.
A miscategorized site is one of the most common tickets a web gateway generates. A vendor portal lands in "Uncategorized." A research site gets flagged as something it isn't. The user is blocked, the business is waiting, and IT is stuck between a lookup tool and a policy console. Here's how URL categorization works, how to use Site Review, and how to keep people working in the meantime. This post is part of our Zscaler admin guide.
Last updated: November 2026
How Zscaler URL categorization works
Every URL your users visit gets a category, and your policy acts on the category, not the URL. According to Zscaler, its URL categorization uses AI and machine learning to analyze uncategorized URLs in real time, assigning categories from a hierarchy that includes classes like Business and Economy, AI and ML applications, Social Networking, and Entertainment (Zscaler blog).
Zscaler also groups categories into broader super-categories. Its own URL categorization test page lists Advanced Security Risk, Bandwidth Loss, Business Use, General Surfing, Legal Liability, Privacy Risk, and Productivity Loss.
Automatic classification is fast, but it isn't perfect. New domains, single-page apps, and sites that change content are the usual suspects when something lands in the wrong bucket.
How to use Zscaler Site Review
Site Review answers one question: what category does Zscaler think this URL is?
- Go to sitereview.zscaler.com.
- Enter the full URL the user was trying to reach. Check the exact hostname, since subdomains can be categorized differently.
- Read the category returned and compare it to what the site actually is.
- If it's wrong, submit a review request through the tool and note the category you expect.
Two habits save time. First, check the URL from the user's block page or logs, not from memory, so you're reviewing what was actually requested. Second, record the ticket in your own queue, so you know when to follow up and when to remove any temporary override.
What to do while a review is pending
Don't make users wait on a recategorization queue. Use a custom category in your own policy. Zscaler supports custom categories built from URLs or IP addresses, keywords, and IP ranges, plus policies based on top-level domains (Zscaler blog).
| Situation | Short-term fix | Long-term fix |
|---|---|---|
| Business site wrongly blocked | Add the hostname to an allowed custom category | Site Review request; remove the override once fixed |
| Risky site wrongly allowed | Add it to a blocked custom category | Site Review request with the correct category |
| Only one team needs the site | Scope the custom category rule to that group | Keep it scoped; the category may be right for everyone else |
| Whole family of sites (a vendor's many domains) | Keyword or domain-based custom category | Review each domain; document the vendor in your allowlist register |
Overrides pile up. Review them quarterly and delete the ones the vendor has since fixed, or your policy turns into a list of exceptions nobody remembers.
Don't confuse Site Review with a Zscaler review
Searching "zscaler site review" mostly means the lookup tool. If you're looking for an evaluation of Zscaler as a product, that's a different read: our Zscaler review covers pros, cons, and pricing.
How URL categories work on dope.security
The fix for a miscategorized site should take minutes, not a ticket cycle. In dope.security, URL filtering runs on the device, and you set allow, warn, or block per category from one console. That includes an AI/ML Applications category for generative AI tools.
- Custom categories let you allow or block a specific site or set of sites without waiting on anyone.
- Per-group policy overrides let you open a site for the team that needs it and keep it closed for everyone else.
- Warn is a real option, not just allow or block. Users see a notice and can proceed, which works well for gray-area categories.
- Instant policy push: set the rule once and it lands on every endpoint in under a minute.
Because inspection happens on the device with no backhaul, the same rule applies on the office network, at home, or traveling. Want to see it against your own block-page tickets? Book a 20-minute demo.
Frequently asked questions
What is Zscaler Site Review?
It's Zscaler's URL category lookup tool at sitereview.zscaler.com. You enter a URL and it shows the category Zscaler assigns, which is what your URL filtering policy acts on.
How do I get a site recategorized in Zscaler?
Submit the URL through Site Review with the category you believe is correct. In the meantime, add the site to a custom category in your ZIA policy so users aren't blocked while you wait.
Why is a site categorized differently than I expect?
Automatic classification works from the site's content and signals, and new or changing sites are often misjudged. Subdomains can also carry different categories than the parent domain.
Can I override a Zscaler URL category?
Yes. Create a custom URL category containing the site and give it its own allow or block rule. Scope it to the groups that need it, and remove it once the underlying category is fixed.
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