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This entire article is republished from an earlier time, with a few minor changes. All comments/links have been kept in-tact and should be skimmed by previous readers to avoid comment content duplication.
*****
This question has been a thorn in my side since I started blogging; moons ago. Everyone has a different opinion with different reasons why. Some sound intelligent and notable, some, well…..do not.
I desperately need some of them notable intelligent responses below. The responses to THIS POST will hopefully give me my finalized decision to the aching question plaguing man (me) for centuries (OK less then a decade).
That is, the finalized decision of my entire blog network.
As you can plainly see, I am a big fan of sub-categories; up to now at least. It’s been like that on every blog I’ve had.
The reason should sound simple. I’ve always coached/catered to, the beginner. For this reason, easy-peasy user navigation has always been priority one on any of my blogs.
Sounds good right?
Most other bloggers I’ve seen have just top-level categories…..Affiliate Marketing, Blogging, SEO, etc. (maybe a sub or two thrown in).
Lets look at blogging here on DEDC. We have eight subcategories and even one sub sub category. Nice and neat like.
Disregard the fact that all posts are in all categories, this is another issue.
If a reader were looking for info on a particular blogging topic, and I had just the top -level BLOGGING category with hundreds of posts, there would be a whole lotta scrollin’ goin’ on.
That don’t sound all too easy-peasy to me, how ’bout you. Does this make sense?
Which do you use and recommend and WHY?
As long as we’re here, lets kill this little birdie too.
It makes sense to add this; the two have almost everything to do with each other.
In my case, I used the drop-down category menu BECAUSE I use sub-categories.
The list as you can see is quite long and bound to get longer. I thought it would look like real crap if they were “set free” in the sidebar.
There are other reasons to use it of course. For one thing, it does make things nice and tidy if you have a full sidebar. It also provides lots of extra space if you want a full sidebar.
Etc.
Which do you use and recommend and WHY?
I marked your questions in red, so there really isn’t a need for a wrap up, but just to be clear. We have TWO different things to comment on below.
If one or the other or both are long, feel free to make two separate comments (able to leave two separate commentluv links
)
I’d greatly appreciate this shared among your networks.
Related posts:
Tags: Blog Design, Blog Themes, Blogging Tips
Twitter: BlazingMinds
Says:
June 21st, 2010 at 5:14 am
I use categories with sub categories, just to make them a bit more easier to organize, it makes things that little bit easier to find.
Also I use Drop down menues, mainly for same reason, just makes things a little tidier..
.-= Karen @ Blazing Minds´s last blog ..A Question on blog Comments? Multiple Pages and Order! =-.
[Reply]
Dennis Edell
Twitter: DennisEdell
Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
@Karen @ Blazing Minds, Ever got negative feedback on it?
[Reply]
Karen from Blazing Minds
Twitter: BlazingMinds
Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
@Dennis Edell, Not yet no, so hopefully it’s all working well
.-= Karen @ Blazing Minds´s last blog ..2?? A New Dimension in Music! A Crossover of Electronica and Pop Rock =-.
[Reply]
Karen from Blazing Minds
Twitter: BlazingMinds
Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
@Dennis Edell, Yea could be the theme, a few of the cats. need updating to start with caps, never really got round to it, but I will now
.-= Karen @ Blazing Minds´s last blog ..Saturday Six – Favourite Animated Movies =-.
[Reply]
Twitter: colleenlane
Says:
June 21st, 2010 at 9:17 am
I do not use either of the subs you mention. I think it is because we simply haven’t put much thought into it and are going with default settings.
.-= Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..1st Annual Painted Chairs in Kennewick to Benefit Second Harvest Tri Cities =-.
[Reply]
Dennis Edell
Twitter: DennisEdell
Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
@Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate, You don’t use subs at all? Just top level?
[Reply]
Colleen from Kennewick Real Estate
Twitter: colleenlane
Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
@Dennis Edell, My bad. We have no subs, and use top level but in a drop down menu. I never considered using subs before.
.-= Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..Full Disclosure =-.
[Reply]
Dennis Edell
Twitter: DennisEdell
Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
@Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate, I glanced at your blog a bit. Not knowing a whole lot about RE, I can’t say all too much, but this is what I noticed.
I noticed, lets pick “homes for sales”. At first glance without clicking I thought, this could easily have subs, but after clicking I realized the page itself was kinda set as subs, in a round-about sorta way…kinda cool.
I didn’t click them all, are most like that?
[Reply]
June 22nd, 2010 at 7:23 pm
RT @DennisEdell: Sub Categories and Drop Down Menus – What's the Deal? http://bit.ly/c1kk2h
Twitter: imstrategies
Says:
June 23rd, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I prefer drop down menus, and I love EASY nav, so does Google and Bing.
Navigation is so important for a site, and when I shop online I always prefer the stores that offer a nice drop down menu with a main cat and then the sub cats listed underneath.
WHY?
1. It lets me easily see ALL that is offered on the site
2. Even the most novice user can easily get around and does not have to search around to find stuff
3. It is hard to miss stuff when navigation is that way, and you want people to notice ALL you have to offer, then they stay longer on your site.
4. Heirarchies are very good for SEO and drop downs are very simple, they create the kind of heirarchy that users can use and search engines like.
.-= JR @ Internet Marketing´s last blog ..Google Mayday Update, Caffeine and Tanked SERP Ranks =-.
[Reply]
JR from Internet Marketing
Twitter: imstrategies
Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 1:15 pm
@Dennis Edell,
I say NO WAY, just use post name for permalinks, it’s the best option for SEO, clean and perfect and then if you do change cats you won’t get a bunch of 404 pages.
.-= JR @ Internet Marketing´s last blog ..Google Mayday Update, Caffeine and Tanked SERP Ranks =-.
[Reply]
Dennis Edell
Twitter: DennisEdell
Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
@JR @ Internet Marketing,
Interesting. You’re going against LOTS of opinions, including those of “actual” SEO’s.
It’s my understanding cats can be awesome SEO, especially if they’re kw’s; I forgot to add that part in my last comment.
Why so adamant? NO WAY in caps and what not, is there more to it?
[Reply]
Colleen from Kennewick Real Estate
Twitter: colleenlane
Reply:
June 24th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
@Dennis Edell, Probably, as we usually select 3-4 categories for each blog, so it appears to have subs, I guess. My husband does our blogging, so I’m just a gear in the cog (or cog in the gear?) on this one!
.-= Colleen@Kennewick Real Estate´s last blog ..Full Disclosure =-.
[Reply]
JR from Internet Marketing
Twitter: imstrategies
Reply:
June 25th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
@Dennis Edell,
I say NO WAY, because first, I think it’s an unnecesary over optimization.
Inner pages have certain keyword phrases you want to rank for, and the permalink, Title tag of the page as well as the related content is all that you really need to tell Google what that page is about.
In my experience, a clean permalink, blogdomain/keyword-phrase-title-of-post is sufficient.
That is what I use and have no problem ranking, especially since most of the ranking is about site authority and links, and NOT permalinks.
The permalinks only provide relevance to what the page is about.
The main reason I say NO WAY is simply for the fact that if you ever delete a category, or change it’s name then all the permalinks that had that category in them will render 404 pages, and that would be a mess.
Also, I don’t know about you, but I often add any one post to several categories, if I used them in permalinks they would become so long and convoluted that the actual keyword phrase I was trying to rank for would be lost.
It is a well known fact that clean and simple URL’s are best for SEO. domain/keyword-keyword-keyword – works best!
I am not saying it’s bad to add the category, I just think it’s unnecessary.
.-= JR @ Internet Marketing ´s last blog ..Does Blog Post Frequency Affect Google Rankings? =-.
[Reply]
Twitter: AMater
Says:
June 25th, 2010 at 11:36 am
I don’t use sub-categories, and I really don’t have a reason why lol.
As far as drop down menus, I’ve been told it hurts SEO a little. If you remember I first had drop down categories on my blog after changing the theme, but later changed it. Also, it makes them stand out more if they’re completely visible. I imagine the drop down could be missed by some.
.-= Alan Mater´s last blog ..New Blog Theme – I’m Using the FlexSqueeze WordPress Theme =-.
[Reply]
Alan Mater
Twitter: AMater
Reply:
June 25th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
@Dennis Edell,
Yeah… well, I didn’t really plan anything out when I first started the blog, so that’s why the categories are a mess. Too late now to change them.
Nope, and I have no idea why. It may not matter any… who knows.
Yeah, I understand what you mean.
I don’t think it looks too bad either, and I’m actually glad I chose to have them displayed the way they are.
.-= Alan Mater´s last blog ..June Comment Contest – Win Cash and Prizes! =-.
[Reply]
Twitter: profitmc
Says:
November 29th, 2010 at 5:40 am
Hi Dennis, I must say I simply fancy drop down menus when using subcategories. I was doing this before I changed to my present theme and discovered the theme will not allow the drop down menu. As I couldn’t figure out what to do about it, I simply removed the subcategories and use top level categories. But frankly if I will have my way, subcategories is much better.
Chadrack recently posted..Top 6 Blog Directories That Will Help Drive Traffic To Your Blog!
[Reply]
Dennis Edell
Twitter: DennisEdell
Reply:
November 29th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
@Chadrack, That’s one for my side! lol
Thanks for the input.
[Reply]
Twitter: deutschedweb
Says:
December 4th, 2010 at 11:48 am
I use categories & sub-categories for my site as well

If I used drop down menus, I would have the whole site covered in menus, cause I have 3 levels of sub categories
Amr Boghdady recently posted..German Cases
[Reply]
Dennis Edell
Twitter: DennisEdell
Reply:
December 5th, 2010 at 11:01 am
@Amr Boghdady, `Score another for our side! LOL
Dennis Edell recently posted..Contest Prize Sponsors Wanted for Upcoming Comment Contests!
[Reply]
December 20th, 2010 at 10:07 am
Depends on how big the site is.
This is how I look at it…
For a very small site it makes little sense to have sub cats etc and it makes some sense to use postname as the permalink.
As sites get bigger its more important to give visitors and search engines help to find stuff, so cats become important and with even bigger sites, sub cats too. And using cats and posttitle in the permalink makes sense too.
Of coiurse lots of people will decide how and whether to organise their blogs on other criteria…
All The Best
Alex recently posted..Sony MDR-NC60 Noise Cancelling Headphone
[Reply]
Dennis Edell
Twitter: DennisEdell
Reply:
December 20th, 2010 at 5:33 pm
@Alex, Welcome to the community Alex!
Very well said, have it as a natural progression as the blog grows. I like it.
As for including cats in the permalink, I always advise to be very careful; think it through ahead of time.
If you’re like me, always changing cats around, naming them and what not, don’t do it. You can seriously piss off the search engines, so to speak. lol
If you figure out all your cats before launch and never plan to change them, then go for it!
Dennis Edell recently posted..Contest Prize Sponsors Wanted for Upcoming Comment Contests!
[Reply]
December 21st, 2010 at 6:43 am
Thanks for the Welcome Dennis.
I’m a visitor from Paula and Wanda’s blog…
I think of categories as already existing structures in a market. Part of my job for a new blog is to find what the structures are and use them to my advantage.
Altering them is not an option!
Once I’ve decided on the cats and permalinks that’s it! Done!
What I alter and play with in my office is the furniture and pictures…I like moving that around!
Anyone who likes playing with cats…should maybe get a cat…a nice Maine Coon would do.
But remember a cat is not just for Christmas…it is for life!
Wishing You All a Happy Christmas
Alex recently posted..Sony MDR-NC60 Noise Cancelling Headphone
[Reply]
Dennis Edell
Twitter: DennisEdell
Reply:
December 21st, 2010 at 9:40 am
@Alex, Excellent attitude! I do get antsy sometimes though, and kinds screwed up an earlier blog not knowing about permalinks and such…this is why to this day, I do not use cats in there.

Dennis Edell recently posted..Link Roundups – How Many Links is Too Many Links
[Reply]
December 26th, 2010 at 9:16 am
sub categories are needed to make articles posted at the right path
Praveen@techperk recently posted..7 Ways to Reduce Your Blogging Stress
[Reply]
Dennis Edell
Twitter: DennisEdell
Reply:
December 26th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
@Praveen@techperk, I’m sorry, I don’t understand, what does that mean exactly?
Dennis Edell recently posted..Blog Subscription Process Clarification
[Reply]