The Last Word On Blog Categories – Again

Categorize Your Blog Posts

I recently published a three part series on the topic of blog categories and why less is sometimes more. You can find them here, here , here and here, read them in any order you like, they will change your life.

Anyway, Bonnie kindly commented asking an excellent question to do with filing posts under several categories, as follows: “Why won’t you return my calls? I left like 19 messages on your machine! Call me!”

Sorry, wrong question, read on: “BTW, what’s your opinion on filing a post under more than one category (i.e., an article with SEO tips for blogs might be filed under both “SEO” and “Blogging”)?”

Are You Single?

Okay, at a guess I think that it is best to file a post in a SINGLE category, here’s the theory bit…

Search Engines appreciate topic focused writing and being asked to split their attention between a couple of categories from a single post has to diminish the value they put on the specialist nature of that post. I reckon anyway but what do I know?

If the topic of a post is about ‘blog categories’ and the author mentions possible ‘SEO’ benefits in the post, it’s probably better to file under ‘blogging’ and link to the ‘SEO‘ category or a specific post (just as I’ve done here). Sounds like ‘much of a muchness’ but I think the subtle difference is enough to make this a sensible practice. Are you sensible?

By following this practice you are telling the search bot that the main topic and the majority of the post is dedicated to blogging. You are also letting it know that you mention SEO in the post and that readers can find out more about SEO elsewhere in your blog (or another website). That’s why only the text relevant to SEO is linked out.

Search Bots Travel Buy Links, You’ve Just Greezed Yours Up

Filing and linking like this will benefit your reader by giving them further content relevant to the main topic, giving them an opportunity to expand their understanding of the overall subject. Search bots will like you because your post is subject focused while giving them good internal links to other relevant topics. Search bots travel buy links, you’ve just greezed yours up.

*Important Warning*

Be careful, Search Engines will love you for this but your readers may become obsessed with you. You’ve been warned…