Using categories to organize your website

Did you ever go to a website and felt like there were no clear signs around as to where to go next or what you could find there. We know that is a no fun experience so let’s try to avoid that on your site!

If you write a blog, Using WordPress categories is a great way to organize your blog content, making it easier for readers to navigate and for search engines to understand your site structure. Here’s how to effectively use categories.

Understanding Categories in WordPress

Categories in WordPress allow you to group related blog posts under broad topics. They are a way of organizing your content and making it clear what topics your blog covers. For example, if you run a food blog, categories could include “Recipes,” “Restaurant Reviews,” and “Healthy Eating.”

Categories are generally larger, broad titles that you write about on a regular basis. It can be easy to get carried away a create a lot of categories, thinking that the more you have, the better. It will look like you write about a lot of things!

Too many categories can be overwhelming. Some of the best sites have a limited number of main categories.

It is a good idea to give some thought to the topics you want to write about. The best set of categories will be related to the services you offer and your expertise. On this blog, for example, the categories are Design, Marketing and Content.

If you have 3 or more posts about the same topic, then this is a good marker for creating a category. If you have just one post, I would consider trying to fit it under another category. Or writing more posts in the same category.

Using Subcategories for Better Organization

Categories in WordPress are ‘hierarchal’ which simply means you can have sub-categories. If you write about design, you may be a typography designer primarily and so that would be something you would write about a lot and so merits its own category.

Since choosing a few categories might feel limited especially if you do write a lot. Categories in WordPress. If your blog covers multiple topics, subcategories can help refine content. For example:

• Main Category: Breakfast
  • Subcategories: Eggs, Oatmeal, Bacon, Pancakes

This hierarchy makes navigation easier for visitors.

How to Choose a Default Category

When WordPress is first installed, it comes with an example post, page and one category: Uncategorized. Any post that is created will fall into this default category unless you choose a different one. A default of Uncategorized doesn’t really give much context as to what the post might be about.

From the WordPress Dashboard:

1. Go to Settings > Writing
2. From the Default Post Category dropdown at the top of the page, choose a category.
3. Hit the Save button at the bottom of the page.

Now, if you write a post and forget to choose a category, it will fall under the category you chose. My own site uses the default category of ‘Design’.

What are Tags and how are they different from categories?

Tags are smaller, less important sections of your site. They may be related to a category but don’t necessarily need a category of their own. Google does not use tags for SEO but they may be helpful if you’ve written about something a few times. I for one have been looking for recipes to not waste my brussels sprouts (yet again…) and have found a tag helpful instead of going through 20 pages of side dishes. Phew!

For example, when writing about design, tags could be things like color, font, layout, or something similar. You may write about these things more than once but it is not a sole focus.

Creating and Managing Categories

You can add categories in two main ways:

Method 1: From the WordPress Dashboard

1. Go to Posts > Categories in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Enter a name for your category.
3. Add a slug (optional, this is the URL-friendly version of the category name).
4. Choose a parent category if you want to create subcategories.
5. Add a description (optional, but helpful for SEO).
6. Click Add New Category.

Method 2: While Writing a Blog Post

1. In the Post Editor, locate the Categories box on the right sidebar.
2. Click Add New Category if needed.
3. Check the appropriate category for the post.
4. Click Publish or Update.

How to Display Categories on Your Site

To help users browse by category, you can:

• Add a Categories Widget: Go to Appearance > Widgets and add the “Categories” widget to your sidebar or footer.
• Include Categories in Menus: Go to Appearance > Menus, select “Categories,” and add them to your navigation menu.

How to Optimize Categories for SEO

• Use descriptive names for categories (avoid generic names like “Miscellaneous”).
• Write category descriptions with relevant keywords.
• Avoid too many categories (keep it structured and meaningful).
• Use a category archive page to showcase posts within each category.

How to Manage and Edit Categories

If you need to rename, delete, or merge categories:

1. Go to Posts > Categories.
2. Hover over a category and choose Edit or Delete.
3. If you delete a category, posts assigned to it will move to the default “Uncategorized” category.

When it’s clear what you talk about and users can easily find what they want, this is a boost to both your SEO and creates happy customers.

Would you like help structuring categories for your specific blog? > This could become a CTA for a content or website audit to work with me. (which I think means a new sales page…)