If you are a WordPress user, you are probably familiar with the concept of categories. Categories are a way to organize your website’s content into different topics or subjects. They help both you and your visitors find specific articles or posts more easily. However, as your website grows and evolves, you may find that some categories are no longer relevant or necessary. In this blog post, we will guide you through a few simple steps of how to delete a category in WordPress, so you can keep your blog posts tidy and well-organized.

Table of Contents

Learn how to delete a category in WordPress.

Why Delete a Category in WordPress?

There are a number of reasons why you might need to delete a category in WordPress. Perhaps you have restructured your website and certain categories no longer fit into your new content hierarchy. Or maybe you have decided to focus on a different niche and want to remove categories that are no longer relevant. Deleting unnecessary categories can help streamline your website and make it easier for your visitors to navigate and find the content they are looking for. By de-cluttering your categories, you ensure that your website remains fresh and up to date.

Consequences of Deleting a Category

Before you jump into deleting a category in WordPress, it’s important to understand the consequences of doing so. When you delete a category, all the posts or articles assigned to that category will be moved to the default category or another category of your choice. 

However, it’s crucial to note that deleting a specific category does not delete the posts themselves. They will still be accessible on your website, just under a different category. It’s a good idea to review and update your posts’ categories after deleting one to ensure they are properly organized.

By choosing to delete wordpress categories can also cause a 404 error on your website if your category page has been indexed by a search engine like Google or Bing.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Delete a Category in WordPress

Now that you have a clear understanding of why you might need to delete a category and the consequences involved, let’s go over the step-by-step process of the easiest way of deleting categories in WordPress:

  1. Log in to your WordPress Admin Dashboard: To begin, log in to your WordPress account using your admin credentials. Once you are logged in, you will be directed to the WordPress dashboard.
  2. Navigate to the Categories section: In the admin dashboard, locate the “Posts” tab on the left-hand side and hover over it. A drop-down menu will appear, and you need to select “Categories.”
  3. Choose the Category you want to Delete: In the Categories section, you will see a list of all the categories on your website. Find the category you want to delete and hover over it. You will see the category name and the category slug. Several options will appear below the category name.
  4. Click on “Delete”: Among the options that appear when you hover over the category, select “Delete.” A confirmation message will appear, asking if you are sure you want to delete the category. Make sure you have selected the correct category before proceeding.
  5. Assign posts to a new category: After confirming the deletion, WordPress will transfer all the posts from the deleted category to the default category. If you want to assign them to a different category, you can do so by editing each post individually or by using bulk editing options.
  6. Alternate Steps: You can also click into each category and select the red delete button at the bottom of the page. The only category you cannot delete is the uncategorized category. This is a default category from WordPress so you only option is to rename it. 
  7. Bulk Delete: You can use the bulk actions dropdown to bulk select and delete categories as well but make sure the categories you are selecting are correct since this is not reversible. 

Alternative Approaches to Dealing with Unwanted Categories

While deleting a category is a straightforward solution for removing unwanted categories, there are alternative approaches you can consider depending on your specific needs:

  • Rename the category: If a category is no longer relevant but still contains useful posts, you can choose to rename it instead of deleting it. By giving it a new name that aligns with your current content, you can repurpose the category and continue using it effectively. Beware that renaming it will cause a 404 error you will need to redirect your old category name to your new category name.
  • No Index the Category: You can set your old category to no index and simply tag the posts under the old category to the new category. This will free up the use of the old category and create a new category so that you won’t need to deal with redirects to your WordPress category page.
  • Create a new category: If you want to keep the posts from the unwanted category but don’t want to assign them to an existing category, consider creating a new category specifically for those posts. This way, you can maintain a separate section for the content without disrupting the existing category structure. You can then set your old category to no index once you have moved all the topics over to the new category.

Considerations Before Deleting a Category

Before you proceed with deleting a category in WordPress, it’s important to consider a few things:

  • SEO Impact: Deleting a category may have SEO implications, especially if the category had a significant number of posts. It’s crucial to update your wordpress url and ensure that search engines can still crawl and index your posts under the new category or default category.
  • User Experience: Consider how deleting a category may affect your website’s user experience. If visitors frequently navigate through your categories to find content, make sure the restructuring doesn’t hinder their ability to do so. Review your navigation menus and ensure they reflect the changes made to keep your category list organized.
  • Content Organization: Take the time to reevaluate your content organization strategy. Deleting a category offers an opportunity to refine your website’s structure and ensure your categories align with your current goals and target audience. You can even use a parent category and a child category if you want to further segment your content.

Best Practices For Managing Categories in WordPress

To maintain an organized and efficient website, it’s important to follow some best practices for managing categories in WordPress:

  • Plan your category structure: Before creating categories, take the time to plan your category structure. Consider your website’s topics, subtopics, and how they relate to each other. A well-thought-out category structure will make it easier for both you and your visitors to navigate and find content.
  • Keep categories focused: Aim to keep your categories focused on specific topics. This helps both search engines and visitors understand the content contained within each category. Avoid creating broad new categories that cover too many unrelated topics. Once you create a new post make sure to tag it to the new category.
  • Regularly review and update categories: As your website grows and evolves, periodically review and update your categories. Remove or merge categories that are no longer relevant, and create new ones as needed. Regular maintenance ensures your website remains organized and up to date.
  • Keep everything organized: Keep your categories organized so that you can use category archives with a category description. This helps your readers go back and read old posts in an organized fashion.
  • Make a Category Index: Create a category index page or dynamic category pages and keep your WordPress posts organized in different sections. You can use the Kadence Pro Elements feature to set these up in an easy way to display categories.  

Troubleshooting Common Issues When Deleting a Category

While deleting a category in WordPress is a relatively straightforward process, you may encounter some common issues that will change your site’s structure. Here are a few troubleshooting tips:

  • Posts Not Properly Reassigned: If you find that some posts were not correctly reassigned to the default category or the category of your choice, you can manually edit each post to assign them to the appropriate category.
  • 404 Errors: After deleting a category, you may encounter 404 errors if you had internal or external links pointing directly to that category. To resolve this, update your links to reflect the new category structure or use redirection plugins to automatically redirect the old category URLs to the new ones. You can use a plugin like RankMath or Redirect to handle this task for you.
  • Theme Compatibility: In rare cases, certain themes may have custom category structures or dependencies that can cause issues when deleting a category. If you experience any compatibility issues, reach out to the theme developer or consult their documentation for guidance.

Conclusion

Deleting a category on your WordPress website is a useful and necessary task to keep your website organized and relevant. By following the step-by-step guide and considering the alternative approaches and best practices discussed in this blog post, you can confidently delete unwanted categories while maintaining a seamless user experience. 

Remember to review and update your posts’ categories after deletion to ensure they are properly organized. With careful planning and regular maintenance, you can manage your WordPress categories effectively and provide your visitors with a well-structured and user-friendly website.

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