Foundation · 2 min
What you need to know
How do you decide on the first categories?
Ask a friend what they would look for first when buying your type of product. Buyers might ask whether you sell gift sets, or where a particular product type is. Make those routes easy to see. Do not begin with categories named after your internal stock codes.
A main category page can show your available products in that group, and, if you have enough of them, links to smaller groups. Check that its title and introduction describe what is actually there.
How many categories should you create?
There is no fixed number of categories. Start with groups that show different ways to shop, such as a main product group and “Gift sets.” A category with one product may still be useful when it answers an important shopper need, but several almost identical one-product categories can make browsing tiring.
If visitors must scan a long menu before seeing any products, combine overlapping groups. If a large group mixes products with very different purposes, consider splitting it.
When do subcategories help?
A subcategory is a smaller group inside a broader category. If a main category page grows to include several distinct types of products, those types could become useful subcategories. If you have only one or two of each, a simple category page with clear product labels may be enough.
Make the parent page useful too. A shopper who clicks a main category should see relevant choices, not an empty doorway that forces another click.
How deep should the structure go?
Do not make buyers open extra pages unless those pages help them narrow their choice. You do not need several nested levels, such as Category → Subcategory → Sub-subcategory → Product, if a buyer could just see the product on the main category page. As the catalog grows, you can add layers where they reduce confusion.
Ask someone unfamiliar with the store to find a product. Their path tells you more than a universal depth rule.
Foundation · 2 min
Frequently asked questions
Are categories the same as product filters?
No. Categories are the main groups used for browsing. Filters narrow the products shown, such as by size or another option. A shopper might browse a category and then filter to a specific option.
Can I change categories later?
Yes, but check menu links, product paths, and page URLs when you do. If a published URL changes, plan how the old address will reach the right new page.