Categories in your webshop

Categories are the backbone of your online store navigation. They give your customers an overview of your assortment and help them quickly find what they are looking for. A well-organized category structure improves both the user experience and your visibility in search engines.

Create a new category

1. Go to Categories in the left menu in the admin.
2. Click Create new category.
3. Enter a name for the category.
4. Optionally, select a parent category if you want the new category to be a subcategory.
5. Click Save.

The category is created with an automatically generated URL based on the name. You can always change the URL afterwards.

Hierarchical category structure

Shoporama supports multi-level categories. You can create main categories and assign subcategories to them. This allows you to build a logical tree structure, for example

• Clothing (main category)
  • T-shirts
  • Trousers (main category)
  • Jackets
• Shoes (main category)
  • Sneakers (main category)
  • Boots (main category)

To change a category's position in the hierarchy, use the Subcategory field on the edit page. Note that a category cannot be set as a subcategory to itself or to one of its own subcategories.

Edit a category

Click on a category in the list to edit it. Here you will find the following fields and settings:

• Name - The category name that appears in the menu and on the page.
• Address (URL) - The SEO-friendly URL for the category. Automatically generated from the name, but can be customized.
• Subcategory for - Select a parent category or select "None" for a main category.
• Description A and B - Two text fields for category descriptions. Typically, Description A appears at the top and Description B at the bottom of the category page. Read more in The difference between Description A and B.
• In the menu - Determines if the category is shown in the online shop navigation.
• Online - Controls if the category is available as a page in the shop. A category that is not online cannot be visited by customers.

Images on categories

You can upload one or more images to each category. The images can be used for category banners, menu icons or visual overviews. You upload images in the Images tab on the edit page.

The order of the images can be changed with drag-and-drop and you can add a caption (alt text) to each image. You can also choose which image to use as the Open Graph image when sharing the category on social media.

SEO settings

In the Search engine fields tab, you'll find a number of options to optimize the category for Google and other search engines. For a complete overview, see SEO in Shoporama.

• Meta title - The title that appears in search results. Recommended length: 50-70 characters.
• Meta description - The text below the title in the search results. Recommended length: under 160 characters.
• Canonical URL - Points to the "real" version of a category page if you have identical content in multiple locations.
• Open Graph - Title and description for social media (Facebook, LinkedIn etc.).
• Primary keyword - The main keyword for the category, used by the AI assistant to generate suggestions.
• Google category - Associate a Google product category that is used in your Google Shopping feed.
• Noindex - Enable to tell search engines not to index this category. Read more in Put noindex on a page, product or category.

You can use dynamic variables in the meta title and meta description: [YEAR], [MONTH], [SEASON] and [FREESHIPPING] (free shipping limit).

Sorting of products

You can decide how products are sorted within a category. Under Advanced you will find the Sorting field with the following options:

• Normal - Default sorting based on the weight you set manually.
• Stock items on top - Products in stock are shown before out of stock items.
• Alphabetical - Sorts products by name from A to Z.
• Product Score - Sorts by product score (calculated based on sales and popularity).
• Random - Displays products in random order.

You can also sort products manually with drag-and-drop via the Product Order link on the category page. See Sorting products into categories for a detailed guide.

Order of categories

In the category list, you can set a weight (order) for each category. Lower numbers are shown first. Change the numbers and click Save order.

Import categories via CSV

If you have many categories, you can import them from a CSV file. Go to Categories → Import. You can import the following fields:

• Name, Description A and B, Meta title, Meta description
• URL (address), Image URLs, Tag
• Overall category (via name or ID)
• Order, In the menu, Online, Noindex
• Google category, Sorting, Extra fields

The CSV file must have a header row, and you can choose the separator and encoding when uploading. Shoporama automatically matches the fields from the file to the correct columns. See Import categories via CSV for a detailed guide.

You can also export all your categories as a CSV file via Categories → Export. This is useful for backup or for editing many categories in a spreadsheet.

Advanced settings

In the Advanced tab you will find additional settings:

• Tag - An internal tag to use in your templates, for example to style certain categories differently.
• Forward on empty categories - Set a URL that the customer is automatically sent to if the category contains no products.
• Ignore in search - Exclude the category from the internal search function in the shop.
• Extra fields - Add extra key-value pairs to the category (e.g. for use in your theme).
• Optional words for internal search - Add extra keywords so that the category also shows up when searching for words not in the name.

Copy and delete categories

In the category list, you can select one or more categories and select Copy selected to make copies. You can also delete categories with Delete selected. If you have deleted a category by mistake, read Restore a deleted category.

Tips for a good category structure

• Keep it simple - Avoid too many levels. 2-3 levels is typically enough.
• Think like the customer - Use names your customers understand and search for.
• Avoid empty categories - A category without products gives a bad experience. Use "Forward on empty categories" or set it offline.
• Always fill in the meta title and meta description - It helps with visibility in Google.
• Use descriptions - Category descriptions give Google more context and improve your SEO.
• Use landing pages for cross-category selection - If you need to display products across categories (e.g. "News" or "Offers"), use landing pages instead.

If you have any questions about category setup, feel free to contact us at support@shoporama.dk.