Categories help you organize posts in WordPress by topic. They create a clear structure for your content and make it easier for visitors to navigate through a blog, a news section, or an extensive knowledge base.
WordPress not only supports simple categories, but also hierarchical structures with parent categories and subcategories. This allows you to sensibly structure more extensive content without having to create a separate main category for every single topic.
However, a well-thought-out category structure is more than just organization in the WordPress backend. Categories normally generate their own archive pages and can therefore also be relevant for search engines. Therefore, you should use categories strategically and not spontaneously create another category for every new post.
Briefly explained: Categories are intended for larger subject areas. Several related posts can be assigned to a common category. Subcategories enable additional thematic structuring within a main category.
What is a category in WordPress? #
A category is a so-called Taxonomy. WordPress uses taxonomies to group content by specific characteristics.
A simple example: You run a blog about WordPress and web hosting. Your main categories could look like this, for example:
- WordPress
- Web hosting
- Domains
- SEO
- Website security
If you are publishing an article about WordPress plugins, you can assign it, for example, to the category WordPress map. An article about nameservers, on the other hand, would rather fit into the category Domains fit.
Visitors can then access a category and view all posts assigned to this topic area.
What is a subcategory? #
Categories can be structured hierarchically in WordPress. This means that one category can be made a subcategory of another.
Assuming you run an extensive WordPress blog, a structure could look like this, for example:
- WordPress
- Plugins
- Themes
- Safety
- Performance
WordPress would be the broader category in this example. Plugins, Themes, Safety and Performance would be subcategories.
Such a structure can make sense if there is actually enough content for each subtopic. For a small blog with only a few posts, however, this division would usually be unnecessary.
Important: Do not create a subcategory just because WordPress offers this feature. An additional hierarchy should actually help visitors find content faster.
Category or tag: What is the difference? #
WordPress provides two important taxonomies for posts by default: Categories and Keywords or tags.
Both group content, but fulfill different tasks.
Categories describe the overarching subject areas of your website. They can be organized hierarchically and have subcategories.
Keywords describe, on the other hand, more specific properties or topics of a post. By default, tags do not have a hierarchical parent-child structure.
An article about installing a WordPress plugin could be classified like this, for example:
- Category: WordPress
- Keywords: Plugins, Installation, WordPress Dashboard
However, you don't need to tag every post with numerous keywords. Tags should also only be used if they provide actual value for the structure of your content.
We cover how WordPress tags work in detail in the article What is a tag in WordPress and how do you add new tags?.
Where do I manage categories in WordPress? #
First, log into your WordPress admin area. In a standard WordPress installation, you can usually reach it via:
Replace your-domain.ch through your actual domain.
Then open in the left navigation:
Posts → Categories
WordPress now displays the central category management. On this page, you can create new categories and manage existing categories.
Create a new category in WordPress #
On the page Posts → Categories can you find the section for creating a new category.
Create new category #
- Log in to the WordPress admin area.
- Open Posts → Categories.
- Enter under Name Enter the desired category name.
- Create your own if necessary Slug celebration.
- Let Parent category on the default selection, if you want to create a main category.
- Add a description if necessary.
- Click on Create new category.
The new category will then appear in the category overview and can be assigned to your posts.
What goes in the „Name“ field? #
The name is the visible label of your category. It should be short, clear, and easy for visitors to understand.
Good category names would be, for example:
- WordPress
- Web hosting
- Domains
- WooCommerce
- SEO
Less useful would be unnecessarily long names such as:
Everything you need to know about WordPress for beginners and advanced users
A category is not an article heading. The name should clearly designate a subject area.
What is the category slug? #
The Slug is the URL-compatible name of the category. WordPress uses it for the address of the category archive.
A category named:
WordPress Tips
could, for example, the slug:
WordPress tips
received.
Depending on your WordPress and permalink configuration, this could result in a URL like the following:
WordPress can automatically generate the slug from the category name. However, you can also define it yourself.
Recommendation: Use short and understandable slugs. Avoid unnecessary filler words, special characters, and complicated structures.
Can I change the category slug later? #
Yes. However, you should be careful if the website is already publicly accessible.
Changing the slug can alter the category archive URL. If the previous URL has already been indexed by search engines or linked by other websites, the old address without a corresponding redirect will likely lead to a 404 error.
This is why you should plan the basic category structure as early as possible.
When you change slugs or other URL structures of an existing website, you should check whether redirects are necessary. We explain the basic URL configuration of WordPress in the article Configure permalink settings in WordPress.
What is the category description for? #
WordPress allows you to add a description for each category. Whether this description is actually displayed on the public website depends on the theme used or the category archive template.
With a well-structured category archive, a short description can be useful. It explains to visitors what content they will find in this topic area.
Instead of a generic description like:
Here you will find our articles on the topic of WordPress.
is a concrete description more helpful, for example:
Guides and practical solutions regarding the installation, configuration, security, and management of WordPress.
The description should be written primarily for visitors. A category description stuffed with search terms provides no meaningful added value.
Create a subcategory in WordPress #
You basically create a subcategory in the exact same way as a normal category. The decisive difference is the field Parent category.
Create subcategory #
- Open Posts → Categories.
- Enter the name of the new subcategory.
- Set a slug if necessary.
- Open the selection menu Parent category.
- Select the desired main category.
- Add a description if necessary.
- Click on Create new category.
The new category is now listed hierarchically below the selected main category.
How deep should a category hierarchy be? #
Technically, you can nest categories across multiple levels in WordPress. Just because something is technically possible, however, doesn't automatically mean it's good information architecture.
A structure like:
WordPress → Plugins → Security → Login → Two-Factor Authentication
is unnecessarily complicated for most websites.
In many cases, main categories and, if necessary, one level of subcategories are completely sufficient.
The deeper you build the hierarchy, the harder it is for visitors and editors to understand and maintain consistently in the long term.
Rule of thumb: Use as few levels as possible and as many as are actually necessary. A clear, flat structure is usually better than a complicated category tree.
Create a category directly while writing a post #
You do not necessarily have to open the central category management first. New categories can also be created directly while editing a post.
Open a post and look for the section in the post settings Categories. There you can select existing categories and, depending on your WordPress version or editor, also add a new category.
That is practical for spontaneous additions. When planning a larger website, central management under Posts → Categories however, clearer.
Assign a category to a post #
Open the desired post in the WordPress editor. In the post settings, you will find the section Categories.
Activate the desired category there and save or update the post.
A post can be assigned to multiple categories at the same time. However, that does not mean you should take advantage of this option for every article.
Should a post have multiple categories? #
WordPress allows multiple categories per post. In terms of content, this sometimes makes sense, but this feature is often used unnecessarily.
If an article clearly belongs to a main topic, one matching category is usually enough.
An article entitled „Install WordPress plugins“ does not, for example, need the categories simultaneously:
- WordPress
- Plugins
- Instructions
- Websites
- Internet
Such multiple assignments quickly create a cluttered structure and several very similar archive pages.
Therefore, only assign a post to multiple categories if the assignment is actually useful for visitors.
What is the „General“ or „Uncategorized“ category? #
WordPress requires a Default post category. Depending on the language or configuration, this is often the case with a new installation General or Uncategorized.
If you publish a post without selecting a category yourself, WordPress automatically assigns it to the designated default category.
On a professional website, a publicly visible category like Uncategorized mostly not a good solution. It tells visitors nothing about the content of the posts contained within it.
Therefore, set a sensible default category or make sure to consciously assign a suitable category to each post before publication.
Change the default category for posts #
You can find the default category in WordPress under:
Settings → Writing
determine.
You can find the setting there Default post category. Select an existing category and save the change.
We explain the further options of this area in detail in the article Configure writing settings in WordPress.
Why can't I delete the default category? #
WordPress always requires a default category for posts. Therefore, the category currently set as the default cannot simply be deleted.
For example, if you Uncategorized If you want to delete, you must first create another category and place it under Settings → Writing set as default post category.
You can then delete the previous category, provided it is no longer needed.
What happens to posts when a category is deleted? #
Deleting a category does not automatically delete the posts contained within it.
The posts remain in WordPress. If a post is no longer assigned to any other category after deletion, WordPress can assign it to the specified default category.
Before deleting a category, you should still check which posts are affected and whether they should be assigned to another meaningful category.
How to edit or delete existing categories is covered separately in the article Edit and delete categories in WordPress.
Why categories can be relevant for SEO #
Categories are not just an internal sorting function. WordPress normally generates dedicated archive pages for categories, on which the assigned posts are listed.
These pages have their own URLs and can in principle be indexed by search engines.
A well-maintained category can therefore represent a useful thematic overview page. A poor category structure, on the other hand, can create numerous thin, redundant, or barely helpful archive pages.
That is precisely why the frequently encountered strategy „one category for each keyword“ Not a good idea.
Too many categories can become a problem #
Assuming your blog has 35 posts and you create 30 categories for them, a large portion of your category archives may contain only a single post.
For visitors, such archives offer hardly any additional benefit. At the same time, you generate numerous URLs with very little unique content.
This does not mean that every small category automatically represents an SEO issue. The decisive factor is the usefulness of the respective page. However, a large number of nearly empty archives is usually a sign of poorly planned information architecture.
SEO Tip: When thinking about categories, do not think of search terms first, but rather of subject areas. Ask yourself: Would a visitor intentionally open this category to find more relevant content? If the answer is no, you probably do not need the category.
How many categories should a WordPress website have? #
There is no fixed number for this. The right number depends on the scope and topics of your website.
A blog with 20 posts may only need four or five main categories. A specialized portal with several hundred articles, on the other hand, can sensibly use significantly more categories and subcategories.
More important than the absolute number is the ratio between categories and actual content.
Ideally, a category should represent a topic for which you have several relevant posts or are planning to have in the future.
Planning categories before building a larger blog #
Wenn du bereits weisst, dass deine Website viele Inhalte erhalten wird, lohnt es sich, die grundlegende Struktur vorab zu planen.
Eine einfache Vorgehensweise ist:
- Definiere die wichtigsten Themen deiner Website.
- Fasse verwandte Themen zu wenigen Hauptkategorien zusammen.
- Prüfe, ob Unterkategorien wirklich erforderlich sind.
- Lege verständliche Namen und Slugs fest.
- Ordne neue Beiträge konsequent nach dieser Struktur ein.
- Überprüfe die Kategorien regelmässig und entferne unnötige Überschneidungen.
Damit verhinderst du, dass über mehrere Jahre hinweg Dutzende ähnliche Kategorien wie WordPress, WordPress Tips, WordPress Hilfe, WP and WordPress Anleitungen nebeneinander entstehen.
Kategorien nicht mit der Website-Navigation verwechseln #
Eine WordPress-Kategorie muss nicht automatisch ein Menüpunkt deiner Website sein.
Kategorien organisieren Beiträge. Menüs steuern dagegen die Navigation deiner Website.
Du kannst eine wichtige Kategorie in ein Menü aufnehmen, musst das aber nicht. Ebenso kann dein Hauptmenü Links zu Seiten enthalten, die überhaupt keine Kategorien sind.
Wie du Navigationen aufbaust, behandeln wir später ausführlich im Artikel Creating and managing menus in WordPress.
Hauptkategorie oder Unterkategorie: Was ist besser? #
Eine Unterkategorie ist sinnvoll, wenn sie einen klar abgegrenzten Teilbereich einer grösseren Kategorie darstellt.
For example:
- WordPress
- Plugins
- Themes
- Safety
Wenn deine Website aber erst drei WordPress-Beiträge besitzt, wäre diese Unterteilung wahrscheinlich verfrüht. Dann kann eine einzige Kategorie WordPress zunächst vollkommen ausreichen.
Die Struktur darf mit deiner Website wachsen. Du musst nicht schon beim ersten Beitrag jede möglicherweise irgendwann benötigte Unterkategorie anlegen.
Typische Fehler bei WordPress-Kategorien #
Viele unübersichtliche WordPress-Websites haben ihre Kategorien nicht geplant, sondern über Jahre spontan erweitert.
Common mistakes include:
- für fast jeden Beitrag eine neue Kategorie erstellen
- mehrere Kategorien mit nahezu identischer Bedeutung verwenden
- Beiträge wahllos zahlreichen Kategorien zuordnen
- leere oder kaum genutzte Kategorien behalten
- unnötig tiefe Kategoriehierarchien erstellen
- die Standardkategorie „Uncategorized“ öffentlich verwenden
- bestehende Kategorie-Slugs ohne Prüfung der URLs ändern
- Kategorien ausschliesslich für vermeintliche SEO-Keywords erstellen
Eine saubere Kategoriestruktur sollte auch nach mehreren Jahren noch verständlich sein. Wenn du bei jedem neuen Beitrag überlegen musst, welche von zehn nahezu identischen Kategorien gemeint war, ist die Struktur zu kompliziert geworden.
Practice rule: Kategorien sollen Inhalte ordnen, nicht zusätzliche Komplexität erzeugen. Wenige klar definierte Kategorien sind meistens besser als eine grosse Sammlung kaum unterscheidbarer Themenarchive.
Summary #
Kategorien strukturieren deine WordPress-Beiträge nach übergeordneten Themen. Du erstellst und verwaltest sie unter Posts → Categories. Dort kannst du einen Namen, einen URL-Slug, eine übergeordnete Kategorie und bei Bedarf eine Beschreibung festlegen.
Unterkategorien eignen sich für grössere Websites, wenn ein Themenbereich tatsächlich weiter unterteilt werden muss. Vermeide dagegen unnötig tiefe Hierarchien und Kategorien, die nur einen einzelnen Beitrag enthalten und keinen erkennbaren Mehrwert für Besucher bieten.
Achte besonders auf verständliche Kategorienamen, kurze Slugs und eine langfristig nachvollziehbare Struktur. Da WordPress für Kategorien normalerweise eigene Archivseiten erzeugt, ist eine saubere Kategoriestruktur auch für die Informationsarchitektur und SEO deiner Website relevant.
Für detailliertere Informationen zu verwandten Funktionen findest du in unserer WordPress-Hilfe weitere Anleitungen zu Schlagwörtern und Tags, the Writing settings and the Permalink-Einstellungen.
