The Categories tab can be found under the Posts section.

Here a user can create, delete, edit, and view the categories for posts. 

See the WordPress support page for more info.


When a new site is created, it will have an “Uncategorized” category automatically. This category cannot be deleted. Creating more categories is optional, however it is recommended to add more if the site has a large number of posts.

Categories are similar to Tags, but they are usually used for more general groupings.

All posts will have their associated categories listed somewhere on the post (location dependent on site theme). 

All posts must have at least one category

When a post is made and is manually not put into any category when published, it is automatically put into the Default Post Category. The default for the Default Post Category is “Uncategorized”. To change this, go to “Settings” -> “Writing” and then select the desired category. 

The parts of a category

There are five main parts to each category. 

Name: This is what the category is called. 

Slug: This is the URL version of the category. Try to keep the slug simple especially if the category name is long.

Parent Category: This can be used to create a category hierarchy. If two or more categories (i.e. Biology, Physics) fit into an overarching group (i.e. Fields in Science), that group could become its own category and a parent category to the others. Using a parent category is optional. 

Description: This can be used to help clarify what the category is. Using a description is optional.

Count: This is the number of posts that belong to that category.

Example Category:

Each category gets its own feed

When a category is created, a page containing a feed of all the posts belonging to that category is created. This feed can be accessed by hovering over the category and clicking the “View” option (see example above). 

By default, the URL for the feed will be formatted as such:

[site URL base] / [category base]/ [category slug]

Here’s an example using the WCSU CELT site and category “Blackboard”:

  • site URL base: wcsu.edu/celt
  • category_base: category
  • category slug: blackboard
  • Overall URL: wcsu.edu/celt/category/blackboard

The category base can be changed by going to “Settings” -> “Permalinks” and then scrolling down to the “Optional” section. The category base is “category” by default. 

Depending on site theme, the feed itself might not be visually appealing. If you want to change how the feed looks, it is recommended using custom CSS or a plugin such as Display Posts.