Quote from James A.Hart on July 14, 2025, 10:53 am

Categories matter more than most people realize — both for user experience and search engine rankings.
Whether you run an e-commerce store or a content site with blog categories,
you’ll want to pay attention to how they’re structured and written.

Recently, Google updated its Helpful Content documentation, emphasizing that its systems are designed to
“better ensure people see original, helpful content created for people.”
That includes your category pages.

Let’s break down what this means:

Why Categories Matter

Think of a real-world use case:
You’re shopping for something oddly specific — like an extra-long, black, waterproof jacket.
Without clear category organization and filtering options, finding that item would be painful.

Same goes for any niche. If you have a “Sweatshirts” category, don’t write a Wikipedia-style history of the sweatshirt.
Instead, users want content that helps them choose:

• What materials are used?
• What styles and colors are available?
• What’s popular or trending in this category?

Best Practices for Category Pages

• Keep it short and helpful.
  A good rule of thumb: include a few concise sentences below your main H1 header
  that describe the items in the category and what users can expect to find.
• Example for an affiliate site:
  “This collection of outdoor power generators includes our top picks for camping, home backup, and emergency use.
  We’ve highlighted models with the best fuel efficiency, noise levels, and durability based on real user feedback.”

In summary:

• Help users make decisions, not just read fluff
• Add short, actionable descriptions to each category
• Align your category content with what real people actually search for