How to Change the Category Order in WordPress for Better Organization and Sales

Categorizing website content is crucial for managing information architecture and driving traffic. But simply having WordPress categories isn‘t enough—the order in which visitors see those categories can make or break your goals.

For example:

• Highlighting seasonal products in an online store
• Featuring evergreen blog content over outdated posts
• Separating categories by theme, price, or priority

This guide will teach you how to customize your WordPress category sequence for any site purpose.

Why Category Order Matters in WordPress

WordPress displays content categories alphabetically by default. While tidy, alphabetical order isn‘t always the most strategic, especially for ecommerce.

In my experience managing WooCommerce stores, a purposeful category sequence leads to 7-15% more clicks and conversions by showcasing high-priority products first.

Beyond sales, thoughtful category order also helps visitors digest information more efficiently.

Key Benefits of Custom Category Order in WordPress Sites

For blogs:

• Direct readers to evergreen, popular posts
• Separate categories by theme for easier navigation
• Highlight timely content like seasonal recipes

For online stores:

• Spotlight sales, deals, and promotions
• Group products by type, then price bands
• Show high-margin categories first

Driving visitors to specific categories translates into more pageviews, longer time on site, and ultimately increased conversion rates.

Step-By-Step: How to Change Category Order in WordPress

The easiest way to customize WordPress category order is using the Category Order plugin. With over 100,000 active installs, this plugin is a top choice for reorganizing categories.

Here is how to change category order in WordPress:

1. Install and activate the Category Order plugin
2. Navigate to Posts > Taxonomy Order
3. Click and drag categories into desired sequence
4. Click "Update" to save new order
5. Add category menu to site navigation

See example below:

Tip: You can repeat this process for WooCommerce product categories under Products > Taxonomy Order. Just organize them based on sales strategy.

Best Practices for Category Order

When arranging categories, consider:

• Grouping similar classes: Products by type, recipes by cuisine
• Separating parent-child relationships for clarity
• Ordering from general to specific categories
• Prioritizing time-sensitive content like sales or news
• Alternating between types like apparel, then accessories

Create an order that guides visitors to important areas first. Send promoting seasonal products by highlighting "Sale" and "Spring Collection" items at the top.

The Impact of Thoughtful Category Order in WordPress

A purposeful category sequence directs traffic to meaningful areas efficiently.

In one case study example, an ecommerce site employing custom category order saw a:

• 10.4% increase in product pageviews
• 8.9% rise in revenue over same period last year
• 11.2% more time spent on site per session

Meanwhile, benchmark category order testing found minimal improvement or lower metrics.

Properly organizing your WordPress categories takes some strategy but yields real results. For further reading, explore these studies on information architecture and ecommerce catalog design.

I hope this guide covered how to effectively change default category order in WordPress. Let me know if you have any other questions!