A category page sits above product pages in a website’s hierarchy. Basically, it’s a topic page for a group of similar products. It helps users navigate their way to specific products they are looking for. If the category is large, a website may also have sub categories.
Category pages should always contain informational content about the category itself. They should always be evergreen and never mention specific products. (That way if a product is discontinued the content is still good).
If you think of a website as a large filing cabinet.
- A category page would be the cabinet drawers
- A sub category page would be folders in a drawer
- Product pages would be inside the folders
So, if you were looking for freshwater fishing lures, you might go to
- A sporting goods website
- The fishing category
- A freshwater fishing sub category
- A freshwater lure sub category
On the freshwater lures page, you’d see a list or grid of all the products available. From here you could quickly see which lures you wanted and click into the product page to see more details and make a purchase.
How is a Category Page Structured?
Exactly how a category, or sub category page is structured will depend on the project and client. So, you should always check the Creative Brief. However, a typical category, or sub category page will have:
- 300 to 500 words of SEO optimized text
- Paragraph copy separated by headings and subheadings
- 3 to 5 internal links that go to other related category pages
In some projects, you’ll see separate work spaces for ATF and BTF content.
- ATF means Above The Fold and is usually one or two short paragraphs that sit above the products
- BTF means Below The Fold and is a larger, usually three to five paragraphs that sit below the products