What is a blog category? This is a labeling system that your site readers can click. Under that category are articles or videos, related to a particular topic, that your site visitors can read or watch.
If you are running a parenting website, it makes sense to divide your articles into categories like Baby, Teens, Food Tips, and so much more.
If a person clicks on ‘Food Tips’, he can expect to see blog entries that will teach him how to prepare delicious and healthy meals as a parent.
But how do you choose categories for your blog?
Here, we will share some essential elements of how you can do this right so you can present your blog in an organized and professional way.
These steps are:
- Use a Category for a Series
- Determine How Often the Category Will Be Used
- Think of Your Audience
- Use Categories That Makes Sense
Read below to find out how to follow these tips properly, and apply them to your blog to make your website more professional and easy to navigate.
Use a Category for a Series
Many times, you are likely to build a series of blog posts. This is especially applicable to bloggers who create tutorials.
If you are teaching your site readers how to create a website, then it makes sense to create a category that is made specifically for that.
As a site visitor clicks that category, he can easily see the blog entries, which should also be aptly titled with parts. For example, you can title them ‘How to Build a Website Part 1’, ‘How to Build a Website Part 2’, and so on.
The thing is, you cannot use this category for anything else. This is best used if you are writing a series of at least five parts, so it would be straightforward for your readers to follow the thread.
If you do not create this for your series, your older entries for that series will be buried, and your readers will not bother looking for them.
Determine How Often the Category Will Be Used
Some websites use a category, and you will be surprised that there is only one or a couple of entries there.
It is likely that the blogger thought of the category in a spur of the moment, but had no plans of writing entries for that category again.
Do not make this mistake when you choose categories for your blog. If a reader sees this, he will feel disappointed. Generally speaking, readers click on categories because they expect that category to be rich with information.
If a reader sees that there is only one entry, he would think that you are not an expert about your niche as you claim to be.
If you are unsure, start a category called ‘General’. At least, this should contain several articles that you already published on your website.
Every time you write about something, think carefully if you want to write about that particular topic once again.
If you are running a fashion blog and wrote something about making money out of a fashion blog, it is unlikely that you will write another article for that since your main focus is fashion, not making money.
In this case, just put that article in the ‘General’ category; do not create a new one for it.
Think of Your Audience
Are you catering to only one gender? Only one age bracket?
You need to think of this carefully. This careful consideration will help you create functional categories where your readers can easily navigate for information.
If you are running a fashion blog, you are likely writing topics about men’s fashion, women’s fashion, or for teens. In this case, it makes sense to have categories like:
- Men’s Fashion
- Women’s Fashion
- Teen Fashion
You can also add categories for plus sizes if you have lots of articles written for that market.
If you plan on providing value to readers, such as how to choose apparel, you can use that as a category and fill it up with articles written for different markets.
You can create a category called ‘Choosing Apparels’. Under that category, you can write articles like:
- How to Choose Men’s Rubber Shoes
- How to Choose Men’s Formal Shoes
- How to Choose Men’s Formal Wear
- How to Choose Men’s Casual Wear
You can do the same for articles focused on women or teens. If a person clicks on the Choosing Apparels, he knows that this category is about fashion tips where he can learn how to choose clothing for himself.
Use Categories That Makes Sense
When choosing categories, make sure that it has something to do with your website theme or niche. If you are running a fashion website, it is a little questionable to name a category ‘Money’.
Although money is a necessity to buy clothing, that category does not make a lot of sense to the reader.
A better name is ‘Fashion Money-Saving Tips’. This name tells a person who is on a fashion website that he will be able to read tips about saving money and yet be related to fashion at the same time.
And in this category, you can write blog entries like:
- Where to find affordable fashion
- How to form the best bargain prices on clothing
- Ready-to-wear suits versus tailor-made: which is cheaper in the long run?
All the articles that you will write and put in that category must have something do with saving money.
Summary
Blog categories are important. It makes site navigation easier, and people who are looking for something specific will find their way to that web page. Also, it can make a person stay longer on your website.
If a person got there because he is reading an article about how to choose shoes, he might see the category called Fashion Money-Saving Tips. He will be curious, click on it, and then stay to read further.
Always remember these four tips if you choose categories for your blog. You will surely develop a blog that is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and professional at the same time.
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