Is having a post in more than one category in WP bad SEO wise?

Ashley Gable · 10-25-2010, 03:06 PM

Quick question, is having posts in multiple categories bad for seo in wordpress?

I just dont understand how it would work, would the permalinks (I use custom category/postname) be to category1/post OR category2/post?

Anyone know how it would all work, in terms of permalinks and seo?

wordpresstrainingpackage · 10-25-2010, 04:57 PM

You can have posts in more than one category but you need to let the search engines know which one they should give priority. You can do this with the use of All-In-One-SEO pack plugin. This is very important or else the search engines would see your site as a spam blog trying to duplicate posts in order to increase search engine ranking.

Adam Roy · 10-25-2010, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wordpresstrainingpackage

You can have posts in more than one category but you need to let the search engines know which one they should give priority. You can do this with the use of All-In-One-SEO pack plugin. This is very important or else the search engines would see your site as a spam blog trying to duplicate posts in order to increase search engine ranking.

Just to elaborate on that comment...

Just make sure you make use of canonical URLS. This can be achieved with the All in One SEO page plug-in for wordpress.

However, I'm not 100% sure how the URLs will act if permalinks are set to category/postname.

Abledragon · 10-25-2010, 05:01 PM

I don't know the answer to your question about Permalinks, and I don't think it would be particularly bad for SEO - but I could well be wrong on that.

However, I only ever assign a post to one category because it helps me to keep the site organised and makes it less confusing for readers.

I think of categories and tags as folders and sub-folders, and articles as files. So, within the WordPress category I have a WordPress Plugin tag and a WordPress Themes tag.

Then I 'file' articles I write on plugins, for example, in the WordPress Plugins sub folder, which sits inside the WordPress folder.

It helps me to stay disciplined and keeps my articles focused on one subject per article and that, ultimately, makes it easier for readers to find their way around the site.

Cheers,

Martin.

Ashley Gable · 10-26-2010, 10:46 AM

Thanks guys for the replies.

I did a bit more searching around and they all agree with what you all said.

I think I may just stick with one category per post, if it isnt going to give me any SEO benefit, then I dont need to.

Thanks again!

10-25-2010, 03:06 PM	#1
Ashley Gable Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Posts: 856 Thanks: 172 Thanked 95 Times in 86 Posts	Is having a post in more than one category in WP bad SEO wise? Quick question, is having posts in multiple categories bad for seo in wordpress? I just dont understand how it would work, would the permalinks (I use custom category/postname) be to category1/post OR category2/post? Anyone know how it would all work, in terms of permalinks and seo?

10-25-2010, 04:57 PM	#2
wordpresstrainingpackage Wordpress Training Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 120 Thanks: 0 Thanked 15 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Is having a post in more than one category in WP bad SEO wise? You can have posts in more than one category but you need to let the search engines know which one they should give priority. You can do this with the use of All-In-One-SEO pack plugin. This is very important or else the search engines would see your site as a spam blog trying to duplicate posts in order to increase search engine ranking.

10-25-2010, 05:01 PM	#4
Abledragon Advanced Warrior Join Date: May 2007 Location: Hong Kong. Posts: 982 Thanks: 3 Thanked 181 Times in 159 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Is having a post in more than one category in WP bad SEO wise? I don't know the answer to your question about Permalinks, and I don't think it would be particularly bad for SEO - but I could well be wrong on that. However, I only ever assign a post to one category because it helps me to keep the site organised and makes it less confusing for readers. I think of categories and tags as folders and sub-folders, and articles as files. So, within the WordPress category I have a WordPress Plugin tag and a WordPress Themes tag. Then I 'file' articles I write on plugins, for example, in the WordPress Plugins sub folder, which sits inside the WordPress folder. It helps me to stay disciplined and keeps my articles focused on one subject per article and that, ultimately, makes it easier for readers to find their way around the site. Cheers, Martin.
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10-26-2010, 10:46 AM	#5
Ashley Gable Advanced Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Posts: 856 Thanks: 172 Thanked 95 Times in 86 Posts	Re: Is having a post in more than one category in WP bad SEO wise? Thanks guys for the replies. I did a bit more searching around and they all agree with what you all said. I think I may just stick with one category per post, if it isnt going to give me any SEO benefit, then I dont need to. Thanks again!