A reader finds your tutorial on writing image alt text and wants more help with blog images. Your categories offer three choices: “Tips,” “Tutorials,” and “Resources.” All three sound plausible. Which one should they open?
Good blog categories give readers a clue about what they’ll find. Start with the questions people bring to your blog, then choose names that group related answers.
Sort a few posts before naming the groups
Pick six published posts. Write a short phrase beside each title that explains what the reader is trying to do. For a screenshot tutorial, that phrase might be “show readers where to find a setting.” For a welcome email lesson, it might be “help new subscribers take their first step.”
Put posts together when a reader would have a reason to browse them in the same visit. Someone who wants to make a screenshot easier to read may also need help writing its caption. Someone drafting a welcome email is probably looking for a different set of lessons.
Name each group in words readers recognize
Here’s how six sample posts might fit into three categories:
| Category | Example posts | What readers can expect |
|---|---|---|
| Blog Images | Write image alt text; crop tutorial screenshots | Help preparing images that support a post |
| Blog Writing | Revise paragraphs; write post excerpts | Help drafting and editing the words readers see |
| Email Marketing | Write a welcome email; create a weekly digest | Help writing and planning subscriber emails |
Each label describes a subject readers can recognize before opening the page. A label like “Tutorials” may be useful if readers are choosing between tutorials and other formats. For this collection, subject labels tell readers more about where to look.
Give overlapping posts a sensible home
An article about writing screenshot captions could fit under both Blog Images and Blog Writing. Ask what brings someone to that article. If the main task is helping readers understand an image, Blog Images is a sensible starting point.
You can still guide readers to the article from a related writing lesson. A sentence such as “If your example includes a screenshot, see how to write a caption that explains what to notice” gives that link a purpose.
If two categories repeatedly attract the same posts, compare their names and contents. You may need one clearer group, or you may discover that the groups serve different reader tasks and need more specific names.
Check what readers find after clicking
Open each category page and read the first few titles and excerpts. Do they match what the label promises? A page called Blog Images should give readers a clear way to find image lessons. If the right posts are there but the previews sound alike, revise the excerpts so each one names its own task.
Try the same check with a reader’s question: “I need help showing a setting in a screenshot.” Can you pick a category and find a useful lesson without already knowing its title? If you hesitate, make a note of where: the category name, the mix of posts, or the excerpts. Fix the part that caused the hesitation.
Your Blueprint Action Step
Choose six posts and sort them into two or three groups on paper. Name each group in plain language, then write one sentence explaining what readers will find there. Compare your proposed groups with your current categories before making changes.
Start with one category. Open it as a new reader would, and check whether its name, post titles, and excerpts help you find the lesson you came for.
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