How To Add A Category To Your WordPress Blog

If you’re a lifestyle blogger, you know that organization is key to a successful blog. One of the BEST ways you can keep your blog organized is by using categories to group your posts by topic. Not only does this make it easier for your readers to find the content they’re interested in, but it also helps improve search engine optimization (SEO). 

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through how to add categories to your WordPress blog, assign posts to categories, add categories to your main menu, and even how strip ‘/category/’ from your category URLs. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a better understanding of how to use categories to keep your blog organized and user-friendly.

Let’s dive right in, shall we?

How To Add A Category To Your WordPress Blog

What Are WordPress Blog Categories?

WordPress blog categories are a POWERFUL way to organize your posts and make it easy for your readers to find content that interests them. Categories are essential topics that you choose to assign to your blog posts. By categorizing your blog posts, you can group them based on the subject matter, making it easier for your readers to find related content.

Think of categories as a filing system for your blog. Just as you might organize your physical files into different folders based on topic, you can categorize your blog posts into different categories to make them easier to find. You might have categories like “travel,” “recipes,” “health and wellness,” or “parenting,” for example.

One of the great things about WordPress blog categories is that they’re customizable, so you can create categories that fit your specific content. You can also add subcategories to help organize your content even further. For example, you might have a main category of “travel,” with subcategories of “Europe,” “Asia,” and “North America.”

To customize your categories in WordPress, simply go to the “Categories” section in your WordPress dashboard, and you’ll be able to add, edit, or delete categories as needed. You can also assign categories to blog posts when you’re writing them, which will then display on your blog for readers to see.

Steps To Add A Category To Your WordPress Blog

If you want to organize your blog posts and make navigation easier for your readers, then adding categories to your WordPress blog is essential. By adding categories, you can improve user experience and also increase your blog’s SEO score.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add categories to your WordPress blog:

Step 1: Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard

To add categories to your WordPress blog, you need to log in to your WordPress dashboard. Go to your blog’s login page (usually located at http://yourblog.com/wp-admin) and enter your username and password.

Step 2: Access the Categories Page

Once you’re logged in, you’ll see the WordPress dashboard. On the left sidebar, you will see the ‘Posts’ tab; click on it. A drop-down menu will appear, click on ‘Categories’ to access the categories section.

Step 3: Add a New Category

To add a new category, select the ‘Add New Category button. Here you will see several options like the ‘Category Name,’ ‘Slug,’ and ‘Parent Category’ if any. The name is what your category will be called, and the slug is the URL-friendly version of the name. A ‘Parent Category’ is like a main category where subcategories (child categories) will be included. You can also add a category description in the description box to give your readers a brief about the category’s content.

For example, if you enter “Travel” as the name and “Travel” as the slug, the category’s URL will be http://yourblog.com/category/travel.

Fill in the fields and click the “Add New Category” button. Your new category will then be added to your blog.

By default, WordPress includes ‘/category/’ in the URL of category pages, which can make the URLs longer and less user-friendly. To remove ‘/category/’ from your category URLs, you can use a plugin such as ‘WP No Category Base’ or add a code snippet to your functions.php file. 

The ‘WP No Category Base’ plugin will automatically remove ‘/category/’ from your category URLs without any coding required. Simply install and activate the plugin, and it will take care of the rest. 

If you prefer to add a code snippet, you can add the following code to your functions.php file:

“`function remove_category_base() {

    global $wp_rewrite;

    $wp_rewrite->category_base = ”;

    $wp_rewrite->flush_rules();

}

add_action(‘init’, ‘remove_category_base’);“`

This code will remove ‘/category/’ from your category URLs and flush the rewrite rules so that your changes take effect. 

Keep in mind that if you have already published posts with category URLs that include ‘/category/’, those URLs will no longer work after you remove the base. So, it’s important to set up proper redirects using a plugin like ‘Redirection’ or manually update the links to your posts.

If you’re using the Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress, you can easily remove ‘/category/’ from your category URLs without any coding required. First, go to the Yoast SEO plugin settings by clicking on “SEO” in your WordPress dashboard, and then click on “Search Appearance.” Next, click on the “Taxonomies” tab. You’ll see a section for “Categories.” Click on the checkbox next to “Remove the category base (usually /category/) from the category URL.” Once you’ve checked the box, click the “Save Changes” button. The plugin will then remove ‘/category/’ from your category URLs and generate the necessary redirects. This will make your category URLs shorter and more user-friendly.

Step 4: Choose a parent category. 

If your category is a child category, then select its ‘Parent Category’ from the drop-down menu. You can also choose the ‘None’ option if you’re adding a new top-level category.

Step 5: Update and apply. 

After entering the details, select the ‘Add New Category button. If you have made any changes to the previously added categories, choose the categories you’d like to edit and click on the bulk actions- select the edit option and click the apply button. Make changes and click on the update button.

Step 6: Assign posts to categories. 

Once you have added categories to your WordPress blog, you can start categorizing your blog posts. While adding or editing your posts, you will see the option to add categories and tags. Select the relevant category for your post from the ‘Posts Categories’ section, and you’re done.

Step 7: View your categories. 

You can view your categories by going to the “Categories” page on your WordPress dashboard. You’ll see a list of all your categories and how many posts are assigned to each one. You can also click on a category to view all the posts assigned to it.

Here’s an additional step to add your category to the main menu on your WordPress blog:

Step 8: Add your category to the main menu. 

To add your new category to your main menu, go to the “Appearance” section on your WordPress dashboard and click on “Menus.” You’ll see a list of available menus. Select the menu where you want to add your category or create a new menu.

Next, click on the “Categories” tab on the left-hand side. You’ll see a list of all your categories. Check the box next to the category you want to add to the menu and click the “Add to Menu” button.

Once you’ve added your category to the menu, you can drag and drop it to the desired location. Click the “Save Menu” button to save your changes.

Now, your new category will appear in your blog’s main menu. This will make it easier for your readers to navigate to the content they’re interested in. 

CONGRATULATIONS! You now know how to add categories to your WordPress page. Use categories to organize your posts and make it easier for your readers to find the content they’re interested in.

Adding a category to your WordPress blog is easy when you know what to do. 

Adding categories to your WordPress blog may seem like a small thing, but it can make a big difference when it comes to user experience and SEO. Organizing your blog content using categories can help keep your readers engaged and coming back for more. By avoiding the biggest SEO mistakes and publishing engaging blogs, your WordPress blog can become a success.

If you found this blog helpful, be sure to head on over to the InfluencerSEO Blog for more valuable information, pro tips, and all things SEO!