Thank you to Carol Taylor, who blogs at ‘Retired? No One Told Me!’, for asking me a question about blogging after reading my recent blog post ‘Do You Have A Question About Blogging…’
Here’s Carol question in full.
I went back to Carol to confirm that what she was referring to was a sub-category being added to a category. It was!
First of all, let me start by saying that it’s essential to ensure that all blog posts are categorised. Why? Because it’s a way of helping visitors to your blog find the information they’re looking for.
Here’s an example. I’ve just read a blog post you published about your Grandmother’s recipe for the world’s best chocolate chip cookies. I want to find out if you’ve published any other recipes, and search for a recipe category. Unfortunately, you don’t have one, or you don’t categorise any of your posts (so they all fall under ‘uncategorised’).
I could search for the information (if you have a search bar on your blog), but I want to check out all your recipe posts, not just one. The only option is to now scroll through all your posts looking for recipes that may interest me. The clock is ticking, and I’ve got lots more to do…
Adding a category to your post is simple to do. In the settings menu of your blog post, you’ll find the place where you can add categories. If you already have categories, you’ll see them there. The following screenshot is taken from my blog.
For Carol’s question, we are going to add a new sub-category for my new book, ‘More Glimpses’, to the category ‘Glimpses’, which I already have as a category.
The first thing we need to do is create ‘More Glimpses’ as a category. To do this, we need to click on the ‘Add New Category’ link.
Next, add ‘More Glimpses’ in the ‘New Category Name‘ box.
Just under the ‘Add New Category‘ box, you will see a ‘Parent Category‘ box. This is where we can turn the new category, we’ve just created, into a sub-category.
Click on the little arrows in the right-hand side of the “Parent Category‘ box to display a list of all your categories.
Select the category ‘Glimpses’ and click on it.
‘Glimpses’ now appears in the ‘Parent Category‘ box.
Next, click on the ‘Add New Category‘ button.
‘More Glimpses’ now appears as a sub-category under the category ‘Glimpses’.
Why are sub-categories important?
Let’s say you’re a travel blogger and are visiting the countries in the UK – England, Scotland, Northern-Ireland, and Wales. You could have ‘UK’ as your main category, and England, Scotland, Northern-Ireland, and Wales as sub-categories.
I want to thank Carol for asking her question and hope that my answer has helped her.
Connect with Carol.
Carol’ s early attempts at writing have been published in two separate anthologies. Her new cookbook will be out quite soon.
As her direction in blogging has changed, and now includes healthy eating and waste, she wanted to share the following post which she feel reflects her more at this time.
Healthy Eating …Waste not! Want Not!
Do you use categories and sub-categories on your blog? If you have any further questions about categories or sub-categories, leave them in the comments section.
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Hugh's Views & News 
OK, so I have categories and sub-categories; I select them when I write my poist, and when I preview they are NOT THERE. I am just starting the blog, and it’s making me nuts!! What step am I missing? Thank you.
Which blogging platform are you using, and is your blog self-hosted?
WordPress hosted by AWS (Amazon), I figured it out last evening when I actually published the first post, and the categories and subcategories all appeared!! Apparently they do not show in the preview, only if the final post….
I’m glad you sorted it out.
Hi Hugh,
I am loving your AMA (Ask Me Anything) Series. I actually started posting AMA videos in which I answer common blogging questions on Instagram just yesterday. Do you answer questions on Quora as well?
Janice
I’ve only dipped my toes into Quora, Janice. It’s something I need to have a closer look at.
I wish you success with your videos on Instagram. I hope you’ll let us know how they do?
Great question from Carol, great response from Hugh. I agree with you about the importance of categories but have never thought about adding subcategories. It’s a good idea, of course, and a helpful explanation.
I haven’t long been using sub-categories, Norah. However, I can now see how useful they are. I will start using more and more on my posts.
I’ll look out for them, Hugh.
Such great tips and clearly explained as always, thanks Hugh #senisal
You’re welcome, Debbie. I’m glad the post is helping.
Thanks for posting this useful information. I am going to piggyback on Carol’s question. Are subcategories related to topic clusters?
I’ve not heard of the term ‘Topic Clusters’ but it does sound very similar to the term ‘sub-categories.’
I just learned the name at a SEO class. Apparently, you link a group of posts together (by main and supporting posts) and when one does well on SEO they all do well.
Linking posts together with pingbacks is something I enjoy doing, but only if there is a common theme between them. In fact, I try and use at least one pingback in every post, whether it be to one of my own posts or that from another blog/site.
I use a number of sub-categories to drive people to movies, music, travel, food and of course, BACON!
Mmm, ketchup on my bacon, please, John.
Good to hear you’re already using sub-categories.
Well i never! So useful. You know so much about blogging and wordpress
Have you got advise on tags as mine are out of control.
The best advice about tags is to delete any that are not keywords (or likely to be used by somebody searching for information). Think about what words you would enter when searching for something. Never have more than 14 tags on a post (as the post won’t show up on the WordPress reader), although it’s recommended to have between six and eight tags (as search engines can cope with that number when searching).
Thank you. Always useful. I dont think i would ever do 14 , simply because i wouldnt be able to think of 14..lol
A helpful and popular post. Screenshots make all the difference!
Thank you, Rachel. Yes, I agree, screenshots always make a big difference when we are following instructions.
Thanks for sharing, Hugh.
You’re welcome, Stevie.
Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this helpful post from Hugh’s Views and News blog with How to Add a Sub-Category to Your WordPress blog post.
Excellent question Carol, and excellent response Hugh. I’m astounded at the amount of blogs I read who have no categories or a search bar! 🙂 xx
I’m the same, Debby. I’ve not linked to many of a blog because there was no search bar on the blog to find the post I wanted to link to.
Thank you, Debby..Hugh is always so helpful and the place go if we have a query…Thank you, Hugh….
Definitely the right place! 🙂 xx
Very helpful, Hugh. I use categories but hadn’t considered subcategories. Categories are very useful for followers and search engines so good idea to make the best of them.
I’d forgotten about how categorising your blog posts also helps seach engines find your post, Eugenia. Thank you for the reminder.
You’re most welcome.
If it wasn’t for your post on categories a while back, I still wouldn’t have any. Never would have even thought if it. Had never noticed the uncategorized default…
Thank you, Obi-Wan Kenobi 🙂
BTW, your tutorials are so clearly written I can actually understand them. Not always the case with me 🙂
I’m glad for your feedback on the way I write the tutorials, Aimer. Thank you for letting me know. I always write them the way I’d want to read them if it were me looking for information on how to do something.
Good call, because that works for me 🙂
Hi, Hugh – I regularly use ‘categories’ for my posts, but haven’t yet used subcategories. Thank you for your reminder about the importance of this.
Thank you also for introducing Carol to us. I love the name of her blog, and am off to check it out now.
You’re welcome, Donna. I’m glad it’s helped. I wasn’t using sub-categories until about six months ago. Now I find them very useful, especially when a category can cover a broad range of things.
Thank you, Donna I hope you enjoy my blog the name is how I feel a lot of the time…I mean I am busier now than when I worked…haha 🙂
This is really good. I do have categories although I never know whether to keep ‘uncategorised’ ticked or not. Also I don’t have sub-categories, I think I need to have a think about this. Thanks for that & great question Carol 😊
You should definitely never use the ‘uncategoriesd’ category at all, Sam. I only have it as a default category in case I forget to categorise a post. It then helps me find any posts that are not categorised so I can add one.
Ooo thank you Hugh, need to go into my Admin!! 😬
I’ve just clicked on ‘uncategorised’ under your ‘Categories’ widget and got a list of all the posts you have under that category. That will give you a start of which posts need amending.
😂 probably all my posts! Oh heck got to sort that out. You’re a star! Thank you x
Thank you, Sam, and Thank you, Hugh…Always to the rescue 🙂
This is very helpful and one I’m not sure I’ve considered, Hugh. I know when I set up individual pages, you can put in code for the category and tag so those posts appear on the pages. Always something new to learn!
That’s new on me for putting in codes for categories and tags so posts appear on a page. I’d love to know more, Terri.
That was a very good point. I never considered that I can do sub-categories. Thank you, Carol, for the question and thank you, Hugh, for the explanation!!
You’re welcome, Erika. I’m glad the post has helped.
It has!!
Thank you, Erika I am such a divvi when trying to find my way around WP sometimes…A grey fog descends..haha and Hugh explains it so well 🙂
Haha! I hear you! Basically I figure most of the things. But when you don’t even know that there are certain options available you don’t look for them. So, that was a very good question. Thank you for bringing it up, Carol!
You are welcome, Erika ..I do figure most like you but some things just stump me…Adding buttons is the next one…MeWe I wonder if we can do that yet?Just throwing it out there…:) x
Hehe… keep throwing, Carol 👍😄
Great clear advice there Hugh!
Thanks, Ritu.
Good information, Hugh. I always forget about categories. I try to have several linked words or phrases, but I forget categories.
Categorising your blog posts will really help readers find more information, especially if they’re looking for particular information, Chuck. I’d say it’s as important as ‘tagging’ your posts.
I hadn’t thought of that but makes sense. Thanks Hugh! Now I need to go find some chocolate chip cookies.
I hope you found some, Jan.
This is so helpful, Hugh – I really need to pay more attention to my categories. Thanks!
I’m glad it’s helped, Teri. Categorising your blog posts really will help readers find what they are looking for. They’re also more likely to keep coming back.
Perfect timing! I can usually figure it out, but I need to add a podcast category. This will make it super easy!
Excellent, Susie. I’m glad this post acted as a reminder to create that new category.
Very helpful description Hugh for anyone who is struggling with the format…hugs
You’re welcome, Sally. I remember when I struggled with categories. Carol’s question also reminded me to get some of my categories organised.
Hugs.
I’m glad you do this, because I realize there are so many questions I haven’t even asked yet!
I hope some of those questions have already been asked for this feature. I still have many to answer.
This is fantastic, thank you so much for sharing these tips… and to Carol for asking the question! I’ve been wanting to organise my posts in a better way but I hadn’t been able to figure out how to do it. But having read your post I now do! Thanks again – I’m off to get organising 🙂
You’re very welcome. I’m glad it’s helped. Carol asked a great question.
Happy organising.
Thank you,, Hugh…Guess what I will be doing tomorrow…I will also press this for the weekend and share on Social Media…You are a star thank you so much 🙂 xxx
I’m glad it’s helped, Carol. It was a great question to ask.
Thank you for the upcoming shares.
You are most welcome and thank you, Hugh for taking the time to do it…. 🙂 xx
Very nice description of how to do that, Hugh.
Thanks, Dan. I hope it helps those who don’t categorise their blog posts or don’t know how to do it.