The Blog on Branding

Making Blog Categories: What NOT to Do

In the excitement of launching a new blog, a few important areas can be easily overlooked. One of these areas is the choosing of categories. In actuality, the way you display and label your categories can make or break your blog. Successfully organized categories will make your blog easier to work with and easier to navigate.

“The way you display/label categories can make or break your blog.”

So before you get started, learn:

• What not to do
• What to do

What NOT to Do

Bloggers often make common blunders when creating categories, compromising the blog’s success by confusing the reader and making navigation difficult. The key is to avoid forcing readers to think too hard; instead, bloggers should do the thinking for them by effectively planning before execution.

Do Not Categorize Series

A blog’s categories are very important, as readers visiting a blog for the first time will very likely use your categories to locate the posts relevant to them. If your a reader is a first-time visitor, then a category for a one week series you wrote won’t mean much. Thus, confusing category names (e.g. “Special”) and out-dated series (e.g. “Blogging in 2007 Instructional Guide”) impede upon the navigation of your blog.

Instead, posts in a series should be categorized under corresponding subject, just like your other posts. A link leading to an index post with links to the entire series should be included at the top or bottom of each post in the series. This allows for easy access to your entire series without having to dedicate a category to it alone.

“Don’t let categories impede on your blog’s nagivation.”

Do Not Create Incompatible Category Names

One of the most important things you can do when deciding on names for your categories is to make each category self-explanatory. It can be easy to get caught up in creating wacky names; however, when it comes to naming categories, the simpler and more straightforward the better. This saves confused readers from having to click on obscurely named categories to figure out what they might mean.

Also important is keeping category name length consistent. It looks messy to have mostly one-worded categories, i.e. “Schnauzer” and “Poodle” and one multi-worded category such as “How to Breed a Schnauzer and a Poodle to Get a Schmoodle”.

Keep your category names on the same level of formality. The way in which you word your categories sets the tone for your whole blog. With that in mind, don’t mix formally-worded categories, e.g. “Government Spending” and “Tax Collections,” with informal names like “Fun Facts” and “Quick Fixes.”

Do Not Underestimate Planning Ahead

Messy or inconsistent categories spawn from a failure to plan. This mistake leads to out-dated and irrelevant categories, as well as categories created with good intentions but that only have one or two posts in them.

Aside from taking the time to properly name and organize your categories, take the time also to decide how necessary each category is and whether or not you will use it in the future.

“Plan ahead when it comes to creating categories.”

What TO Do

Now that you know what to avoid while creating your blog, here are a few tips on what you should do.

Limit Your Categories

Avoid unsightly clutter and confusion by limiting the number of categories. Before creating your blog, think about how many categories are really needed and consolidate topics when possible.

Keep Categories Broad

Remember to keep your category titles broad. By having broad topics in which to sort your blog entries, you will keep your category number down and help keep your blog organized. This will also negate the problem of having rarely used categories that contain only one or two posts.

Plan Ahead

The most important thing you can do for your blog is to plan ahead. A blog’s success is not based only on its content, but also its organization and how easy it is to navigate.

By planning ahead in order to circumvent many of the issues that accompany hasty creation, you will produce a blog that is enjoyable to work with and enjoyable to read.

By Bryn Dehmcke Want content written for your Brand that shows up #1 on Search Engines and brings you new customers? Contact us.