Are you not satisfied with your WordPress categories and want to change, move or delete them? Here is all you need to do.
WordPress is a versatile content management system (CMS) that powers millions of websites worldwide. One of the key features of WordPress is the ability to organize your content into categories.
Categories help your visitors find relevant content easily and also make it easier for you to manage your website.
However, there may come a time when you need to change, move or delete WordPress categories. Perhaps you’ve rebranded your website, or you’ve decided to restructure your content.
Whatever the reason, it’s important to properly change, move or delete WordPress categories to avoid any negative impact on your website’s SEO and user experience.
In this article, we’ll explore the best practices for changing, moving, and deleting WordPress categories.
What Is The Need To Change, Move Or Delete Wordpress Categories?
There are several reasons why you may want to change, move, or delete WordPress categories. Some of the most common reasons include:
Website Rebranding Or Restructuring:
If you’ve recently rebranded your website or decided to change the focus of your content, you may need to update your categories to reflect these changes.
Simplifying Your Website’s Structure:
Over time, your website may have become cluttered with too many categories. Deleting or merging categories can simplify your website’s structure and make it easier for visitors to navigate.
Improving Your Website’s SEO:
Properly organizing your content into relevant categories can improve your website’s SEO. By changing, moving, or deleting categories, you can optimize your website’s structure to better align with search engines and improve your rankings.
Correcting Errors:
If you’ve made a mistake when creating categories, such as misspelling the name or selecting the wrong parent category, you may need to make changes to correct the error.
Regardless of the reason, it’s important to properly change, move, or delete WordPress categories to avoid any negative impact on your website’s SEO and user experience.
Renaming Or Editing A Wordpress Category:
Renaming or editing a WordPress category involves updating the name or slug of an existing category. This can be useful if you need to correct a typo, change the wording of a category, or update it to better reflect the content it contains.
To rename or edit a WordPress category, follow these steps:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Click on “Posts” in the left-hand menu.
- Go to “Categories” to view your existing categories.
- Hover your mouse over the category you want to rename or edit and click on “Edit.”
- Update the name or slug of the category as desired.
- Click on “Update” to save your changes.
When you rename or edit a category, it’s important to keep in mind that the URL of any posts assigned to that category will also be updated. This can cause broken links and negatively impact your website’s SEO.
Set Up A 301 Redirect
To avoid this, you should set up a 301 redirect from the old URL to the new URL. A 301 redirect is a permanent redirect that tells search engines and visitors that the page has permanently moved to a new URL.
To set up a 301 redirect, you can use a plugin like Redirection or Yoast SEO Premium. Simply enter the old URL and the new URL in the plugin settings, and it will automatically redirect visitors to the new URL.
It’s important to note that while renaming or editing a category is generally safe, you should still exercise caution and make sure you’re not inadvertently changing the structure or organization of your website. You should also consider the impact on your website’s SEO and user experience, and make sure that any changes you make are in line with your website’s goals and objectives.
Moving A Wordpress Category:
Moving a WordPress category involves changing its parent category or reorganizing it within your category hierarchy.
When you move a category, you may risk causing broken links on your website, which can negatively impact your SEO and user experience.
To properly move a WordPress category without causing broken links, follow these steps:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Choose “Posts” in the left-hand menu.
- Click on “Categories” to view your existing categories.
- Hover your mouse over the category you want to move and click on “Edit.”
- In the “Parent Category” dropdown menu, select the new parent category to which you want to move the category.
- Click on “Update” to save your changes.
When you move a category, any posts assigned to that category will automatically be moved to the new parent category. However, the URL of any posts assigned to the category will also be updated, which can cause broken links on your website.
It’s important to note that when you move a category, you may also need to update any menus, widgets, or other areas of your website where the category was previously displayed. This will ensure that your website remains organized and easy to navigate for visitors.
Deleting A Wordpress Category:
Deleting a WordPress category involves permanently removing it from your website’s category hierarchy.
However, deleting a category can have a significant impact on your website’s SEO and user experience, so it’s important to proceed with caution and take proper steps to avoid any negative consequences.
To properly delete a WordPress category, follow these steps:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Go to “Posts” in the left-hand menu.
- Click on “Categories” to view your existing categories.
- Hover your mouse over the category you want to delete and click on “Delete.”
- A popup message will appear asking you to confirm the deletion. If you’re sure you want to delete the category, click on “OK.”
When you delete a category, any posts assigned to that category will be automatically removed from the category.
It’s important to note that when you delete a category, you may need to update any menus, widgets, or other areas of your website where the category was previously displayed. This will ensure that your website remains organized and easy to navigate for visitors.
In addition, before you delete a category, you should consider whether it’s really necessary to do so. If the category is no longer relevant or useful, deleting it may make sense.
However, if the category has a significant amount of content associated with it, or if it’s a key part of your website’s organization, you may want to consider keeping it and simply removing any unnecessary subcategories or tags.
Changing The Default Uncategorized Category:
The “Uncategorized” category is the default category in WordPress, and any new posts that are not assigned to a specific category are automatically assigned to this category. However, if you want to change the default category to something else, follow these steps:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Select “Settings” in the left-hand menu.
- Click on “Writing” to view the writing settings.
- Look for the “Default Post Category” setting and click on the dropdown menu to select a new default category.
- Click on “Save Changes” to save your new settings.
Once you’ve changed the default category, any new posts that are not assigned to a specific category will be automatically assigned to the new default category.
It’s important to note that changing the default category will not affect any existing posts on your website. If you have any posts that are currently assigned to the “Uncategorized” category, you will need to manually update them to the new default category.
To Do This, Follow These Steps:
- Choose “Posts” in the left-hand menu.
- Click on “Categories” to view your existing categories.
- Go to the “Uncategorized” category to view the posts assigned to it.
- Select all of the posts assigned to the “Uncategorized” category by clicking on the checkbox next to each post.
- Click on the “Bulk Actions” dropdown menu and select “Edit.”
- In the “Categories” dropdown menu, select the new default category.
- Click on “Update” to save your changes.
By following these steps, you can change the default category in WordPress and update any existing posts that were previously assigned to the “Uncategorized” category.
This can help you better organize your website and improve your SEO by ensuring that all of your posts are properly categorized.
Adding A Subcategory In Wordpress:
Adding subcategories in WordPress is a great way to organize your website’s content and make it easier for visitors to navigate. Here are the steps to add a subcategory in WordPress:
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- Go to “Posts” in the left-hand menu.
- Select “Categories” to view your existing categories.
- Choose the category under which you want to create a subcategory.
- Scroll down to the “Add New Category” section and enter the name of the subcategory in the “Name” field.
- In the “Slug” field, WordPress will automatically generate a URL-friendly version of the subcategory name. You can customize this if you want.
- If you want the subcategory to be a child of an existing subcategory, select the parent category from the “Parent Category” dropdown menu.
- Click on “Add New Category” to create the subcategory.
Once you’ve created the subcategory, you can assign posts to it just like you would with any other category. When you add a new post, simply select the appropriate category and subcategory from the categories dropdown menu.
It’s important to note that subcategories can only have one parent category. However, you can have multiple levels of subcategories, with each subcategory having its own set of subcategories.
For example, you might have a “Travel” category with subcategories for “Europe,” “Asia,” and “South America,” and then further subcategories under each of those.
Converting Categories Into Tags:
If you’ve been using categories in WordPress but have decided to switch to using tags instead, you don’t have to manually reassign each post to a new tag. WordPress provides an easy way to convert categories into tags using a plugin called “Term Management Tools.”
Here are the steps to convert categories into tags in WordPress:
- Install and activate the “Term Management Tools” plugin. You can do this by going to “Plugins” in the left-hand menu and searching for “Term Management Tools.” Click “Install” and then “Activate.”
- Select “Posts” in the left-hand menu.
- Click on “Categories” to view your existing categories.
- Check the boxes next to the categories you want to convert into tags.
- From the “Bulk Actions” dropdown menu, select “Convert to Tags” and click “Apply.”
- A popup window will appear asking you to confirm the conversion. Click “OK” to proceed.
- Once the conversion is complete, you will see a message confirming that the categories have been successfully converted into tags.
By following these steps, you can easily convert categories into tags in WordPress without having to manually reassign each post. This can save you a lot of time and hassle, especially if you have a large number of posts on your website.
However, it’s important to note that when you convert categories into tags, any category-specific settings or templates you have set up will no longer be applicable.
Additionally, if you have set up any custom code that relies on specific category IDs, you may need to update this code to reflect the new tag IDs. So, be sure to review your website after the conversion to make sure everything is still working as expected.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Q: Can I Change the name of a WordPress Category without Affecting any Posts that are already Assigned to it?
A: Yes, you can change the name of a WordPress category without affecting any posts that are already assigned to it. However, you should be careful when doing so, as changing the name of a category can affect its URL and may result in broken links.
Q: Is it Possible to Change a Category’s slug without Affecting any posts that are assigned to it?
A: Yes, it is possible to change a category’s slug without affecting any posts that are assigned to it. However, you should be careful when doing so, as changing the slug of a category can affect its URL and may result in broken links.
Q: Can I Delete a WordPress Category if it has Posts Assigned to it?
A: Yes, you can delete a WordPress category even if it has posts assigned to it. However, you should be careful when doing so, as deleting a category can result in broken links and may affect your website’s SEO.
It is recommended that you either reassign the posts to a different category or use a plugin to redirect the old category URL to a new category URL.
Q: Can I Move a WordPress Category to a Different Parent Category?
A: Yes, you can move a WordPress category to a different parent category. This can be useful for reorganizing your website’s category hierarchy. However, you should be careful when doing so, as moving a category can result in broken links if the category has been used in any menus or widgets.
Q: How do I Change the Default “Uncategorized” Category in WordPress?
A: You can change the default “Uncategorized” category in WordPress by creating a new category and setting it as the default category in the Writing Settings.
Simply go to “Settings” > “Writing” and select the new default category from the “Default Post Category” dropdown menu. Once you have done this, the “Uncategorized” category will no longer be the default category for new posts.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, properly managing categories is essential for maintaining a well-organized and user-friendly WordPress website.
By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily change, move, and delete categories without causing broken links or negatively impacting your website’s SEO.
Whether you need to rename a category, reorganize your category hierarchy, or delete an unused category, these tips will help you do so safely and efficiently.
Remember to always make a backup of your website before making any significant changes and to review your website after making changes to ensure everything is working as expected.
