How to Work with Categories in WordPress

Categories are one of the most important tools in WordPress for organizing and managing your content. Whether you’re running a blog, an e-commerce site, or a portfolio, categories help you keep your posts organized and make it easier for visitors to find related content.

What Are Categories?

In WordPress, categories are used to group your posts by topic or theme. They help organize your content so visitors can easily navigate and find what interests them. Think of categories as the “sections” or “folders” of your website. For example:

• If you have a food blog, your categories could be Recipes, Tips, Reviews, etc.
• If you’re running a tech blog, your categories might be Gadgets, Tutorials, News, and so on.

When you add a post, you can assign it to one or more categories. This helps to organize your content and gives readers an easier way to explore your site.

How to Create Categories in WordPress

Creating categories in WordPress is simple. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Go to the Categories Page

1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
2. From the left-hand menu, go to Posts > Categories.
   • Here, you’ll see a list of existing categories on your site.

Step 2: Add a New Category

1. On the Categories page, you’ll see a form on the left to add a new category.
2. Enter the name of the category you want to create. This will be the name shown to your site visitors (e.g., “Recipes”).
3. (Optional) Add a Slug: The slug is the URL-friendly version of your category name. It’s typically lowercase and uses hyphens to separate words (e.g., “easy-recipes”).
4. Parent Category (Optional): If you want to create a subcategory (a category under another category), you can select a Parent Category here. For example, if you have a category called “Food,” you could create a subcategory like “Vegetarian Recipes” under it.
5. Description (Optional): You can add a description of the category, but it may not be visible depending on your theme.
6. Click Add New Category to save your new category.

Step 3: Manage Existing Categories

• To edit a category, click the Edit link under the category name in the list. You can change its name, slug, or description.
• To delete a category, click Delete under the category name. WordPress will ask you if you want to reassign the posts in that category to another category before deleting it.

How to Assign Categories to Posts

When creating or editing a post, you can assign one or more categories to it. Here’s how:

Step 1: Create or Edit a Post

1. Go to Posts > Add New (to create a new post) or Posts > All Posts (to edit an existing post).
2. In the post editor, look for the Categories box on the right-hand side.

Step 2: Assign Categories

1. Check the box next to the category (or categories) you want to assign to the post. You can select multiple categories if your post fits into more than one.
2. If you want to add a new category while editing a post, click + Add New Category, type the name of the new category, and click Add New Category.
3. Once you’ve selected the appropriate categories, click Publish or Update to save your post.

How to Display Categories on Your Website

WordPress automatically displays categories in various places on your site, but you may want to customize how they appear.

1. Displaying Categories in Menus

You can add categories to your site’s navigation menu, allowing users to easily browse content by topic.

To add categories to your menu:

1. Go to Appearance > Menus.
2. On the left, under Categories, check the box next to the categories you want to add to your menu.
3. Click Add to Menu, then arrange them in the order you prefer.
4. Click Save Menu to apply your changes.

2. Displaying Categories in Widgets

You can add a Categories widget to your site’s sidebar or footer. This allows visitors to quickly see all available categories and click on the one they’re interested in.

To add the Categories widget:

1. Go to Appearance > Widgets.
2. Find the Categories widget and drag it to the area where you want it to appear (e.g., Sidebar).
3. Customize the widget settings (e.g., display as a dropdown or list), then click Save.