Hey there, WordPress user! Have you been wondering how to add topics to your navigation menu? Want to make it easy for visitors to find content on specific subjects?
You‘re in the right place. In this guide, I‘ll walk you through exactly how to add categories and tags to your WordPress menus – without writing a single line of code!
But first, let‘s talk about why you‘d want to organize your navigation around topics in the first place.
Imagine you write about a variety of subjects on your blog. You cover everything from gardening to travel to recipes. A typical reverse-chronological blog archive would mix all these posts together.
But what if a reader is only interested in your travel content? They‘d have to do a lot of digging to find relevant articles.
A navigation menu featuring key topics solves this problem! With just a click, the user can access a dedicated archive for the topic they care about.
There are some powerful benefits to organizing your navigation this way:
- Improved user experience – Visitors can quickly zero in on their interests
- Higher engagement – It‘s easy for users to discover more content they like, keeping them on your site longer
- Enhanced SEO – Search engines reward sites with a clear, logical structure
In fact, data shows that sites with topic-based navigation see an average of 80% more pageviews per visit compared to those with generic navigation. (Source: Forrester Research)
And a study by the Nielsen Norman Group found that users are 27% more likely to successfully find what they‘re looking for on sites with topic-based navigation.
So how can you harness these benefits on your own WordPress site? It all starts with categories and tags.
Organizing Your Content with Categories and Tags
WordPress has two built-in taxonomies for classifying your content:
Categories are meant for broad topics that define the main sections of your site. On a recipe blog, top-level categories might include Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Appetizers, Desserts.
Tags are for more specific topics – individual ingredients, cuisines, cooking methods, dietary preferences, occasions, and so on. A post in the Desserts category might have tags like chocolate, gluten-free, and holiday baking.
Here‘s a quick comparison:
| Categories | Tags |
|---|---|
| Broad topics | Narrow topics |
| Hierarchical | Non-hierarchical |
| Should apply to multiple posts | Can be single-use |
| Essential for site structure | Optional but useful |
In general, every post should have a category, while tags are optional. It‘s a good idea to plan out your categories in advance, limiting yourself to 5-10 top-level topics. Tags can be more free-form and spontaneous.
To add categories and tags to a post:
- Open the post editor
- Look for the Categories box in the right sidebar
- Check the boxes next to any relevant existing categories
- To add a new category, click "Add New Category", type in the name, and click Add
- Look for the Tags box in the right sidebar
- Type your tags into the field, separated by commas
- You can also click existing tags to add them
With your content well-organized, you‘re ready to create some topic-based menus!
In your WordPress dashboard, head to Appearance > Menus. If you haven‘t created any menus yet, you‘ll see a prompt to create a new one.
In the left column, you‘ll see a list of your site‘s content, including Posts, Pages, and Categories. If you don‘t see Categories listed, click Screen Options at the top right and make sure the Categories box is checked.
Now you can add categories to your menu:
- Select the categories you want to include and click Add to Menu
- The categories will appear as items in the right column
- Drag and drop the items to rearrange them
- Click the down arrow next to an item for more options
- You can rename the navigation label if you want it to be different from the category name
- Use drag and drop to nest items and create dropdown menus
- Click Save Menu when you‘re done
Your category-based navigation menu will now appear on your site!
By default, WordPress only lets you add categories to menus, not tags. But there‘s an easy workaround:
- From the Menus screen, click Screen Options in the top right
- Check the box for Tags
- Now you‘ll see a Tags box in the left column
- Add tags to your menu the same way you did with categories
As you implement topic-based navigation on your site, keep these best practices in mind:
- Keep your top-level menu items broad. If you have a lot of categories, only include the most important ones in the main menu. Use sub-menus or mega menus for the rest.
- Use clear, descriptive labels for your menu items. Avoid jargon or clever names that could confuse users.
- Provide multiple paths to access topics, like a main dropdown menu plus a more extensive "topic index" in the footer.
- If you have a very large site, consider implementing search, filters, and other tools to help users narrow down to specific topics.
- Monitor your analytics to see which topic pages are getting the most traffic and engagement. Prioritize these in your navigation.
- Don‘t be afraid to experiment with different menu layouts and structures to see what works best for your users.
Want some inspiration? Check out these examples of topic-based navigation done well:
- Wirecutter uses a mega menu to pack a huge number of topics into a compact header. Hover over "Reviews" to see how it works.
- The Kitchn‘s header menu reveals neatly organized subtopics focused on its core subjects: recipes, skills, and tools.
- Backlinko‘s delightfully simple menu leads to dedicated hubs for its main topics: SEO, Content Marketing, and Link Building.
Conclusion
By now, you should have a solid understanding of how to add topics to your WordPress navigation menu using categories and tags. You‘ve seen the benefits of topic-based navigation, learned best practices for structuring your menus, and explored some inspiring examples.
Remember, the key is to make it easy for visitors to find what they‘re looking for and discover content they‘ll love. By surfacing your site‘s most important topics in the navigation, you‘re well on your way to providing a more user-friendly, engaging experience.
So what are you waiting for? Go organize that menu! Your visitors (and your analytics) will thank you.
){kind=link}