🗂️ How to Add a New Category in WordPress
Categories help you organise your blog posts and improve your website’s navigation and SEO. Whether you’re starting a new content section or improving your site structure, adding a new category in WordPress is a quick and essential task.
✅ Method 1: Add a New Category from the Dashboard
This is the most common and preferred method for managing categories independently of your posts.
Step 1: Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard
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Go to your login page (usually yourdomain.com/wp-admin)
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Enter your username and password
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Click Log In
Step 2: Navigate to Categories
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In the left-hand menu, click on Posts
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Then click on Categories
You’ll now see a screen where you can manage all categories.
Step 3: Add a New Category
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Under the Add New Category section on the left:
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Enter the category Name (e.g. News, Tutorials, Reviews)
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Optional: Enter a Slug (used in the URL, usually lowercase and hyphenated)
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Optional: Choose a Parent Category if this is a subcategory
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Optional: Add a Description
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Click the Add New Category button
Your new category will now appear in the list on the right and will be available when publishing or editing posts.
✏️ Method 2: Add a Category While Creating or Editing a Post
This method is fast and convenient when you’re already working on a post.
Step 1: Create or Edit a Post
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Go to Posts then click Add New, or edit an existing post
Step 2: Locate the Categories Box
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On the right-hand sidebar of the editor, find the Categories panel
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Click on Add New Category
Step 3: Fill in the Category Details
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Enter the category name
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If you want it to be a subcategory, select a parent category from the dropdown
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Click the Add New Category button
The new category will automatically be selected for the post you’re editing.
🧾 Additional Tips
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Categories are hierarchical, so you can create parent and child categories for better organisation
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Use categories for broad grouping and tags for specific topics
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Don’t overuse categories – one to three per post is generally best for clarity and SEO
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You can manage and edit categories anytime from Posts then Categories
✅ Conclusion
Adding categories in WordPress is a fundamental step in creating a well-structured and navigable website. Whether you manage them through the dashboard or directly within posts, categories help readers and search engines understand your content better.
