The categories we use to organize blog posts in WordPress websites can be SEO’d just like a landing page or a blog post. This is an often neglected task that should be performed with ALL WordPress websites that we work with. Blog categories are often included in sitemaps and therefore are indexed by Google and other search engines. Just a little bit of work can go a long way in making sure the WordPress websites we work on are optimized as much as possible.
Here is how to SEO your WordPress Blog Categories:
1. Sign into WordPress and navigate to Posts > Categories
2. In the list of categories, select and click “edit” on the category you need to optimize.
3. Navigate to the description section and fill it out like you would for a small blog post. You can make it as detailed as you want, but, I would suggest an image (with alt text) and about 200 words. Remember, this is simply a short description of what people can expect to find in this category.
4. Using the Yoast SEO plugin, specify a focus keyword (the name of the category). Then, create a title tag and a meta description using SEO best practices.
5. When you are done, click “update.”
6. Now, we need to ask Google to index the optimized category. At the top of the page, click “View Category.” It will take you to the forward facing category page on the front end.
7. Copy the URL into your clipboard.
8. Then, head on over to Google Search Console and select the correct website in your dashboard. Navigate to “Fetch As Google” under the “Crawl” tab in the menu on the left side of the screen. Enter in the category URL path in the field (it’s everything after the first /). Then click “Fetch.”
9. Finally, click “Request Indexing” and follow the on screen prompts to ask Google to index your optimized WordPress blog category. You’re now finished.
Remember, if you need help optimizing your WordPress website and blog, Arcane Marketing is always available to assist you. Contact us today for a hassle-free and free consultation.
2. In the list of categories, select and click “edit” on the category you need to optimize.
3. Navigate to the description section and fill it out like you would for a small blog post. You can make it as detailed as you want, but, I would suggest an image (with alt text) and about 200 words. Remember, this is simply a short description of what people can expect to find in this category.
4. Using the Yoast SEO plugin, specify a focus keyword (the name of the category). Then, create a title tag and a meta description using SEO best practices.
5. When you are done, click “update.”
6. Now, we need to ask Google to index the optimized category. At the top of the page, click “View Category.” It will take you to the forward facing category page on the front end.
7. Copy the URL into your clipboard.
8. Then, head on over to Google Search Console and select the correct website in your dashboard. Navigate to “Fetch As Google” under the “Crawl” tab in the menu on the left side of the screen. Enter in the category URL path in the field (it’s everything after the first /). Then click “Fetch.”
9. Finally, click “Request Indexing” and follow the on screen prompts to ask Google to index your optimized WordPress blog category. You’re now finished.
Remember, if you need help optimizing your WordPress website and blog, Arcane Marketing is always available to assist you. Contact us today for a hassle-free and free consultation. 
