In the WordPress environment, the organization of content is essential to provide an optimal user experience. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through categories. In this article, we will explore how to search by category in WordPress, providing a quick and comprehensive guide for you to manage your content efficiently.
What are categories in WordPress?
Categories are a tool for organization which allows you to group related posts on your website. This not only makes it easier for users to navigate, but also improves SEO by helping search engines understand the structure of your content.
WordPress allows you to create multiple categories and assign multiple posts to each of them. This is especially useful if you have a blog or a website with a large amount of content.
How to search for publications by category
WordPress offers several ways to search and filter content by category. Below are the most common ones:
1. Using the navigation menu
One of the easiest ways to search for posts by category is through your website's navigation menu. If you have set up your menus correctly, users will be able to see categories as direct links.
- Be sure to add categories to the menu: In the administration panel, go to "Appearance" > "Menus". From there, you can add the desired categories.
- Direct link to the category: By clicking on a category, the user will be redirected to a page showing all the publications grouped in that category.
2. Using category widgets
Widgets are another useful tool to allow users to search by category.
- Go to "Appearance" > "Widgets": From here, you can drag the category widget to the desired location.
- Widget configuration: You can customize the widget to display categories as a drop-down list or as a simple list.
Implementation of a shortcode to search by category
If you want a more customized solution, you can implement a shortcode to display category posts anywhere on your site. This is especially useful if you want to display related content on specific pages.
Example of shortcode
Below is an example of how to create a shortcode that displays posts from a specific category:
function show_publications_by_category($atts) {
$atts = shortcode_atts(array(
'category' => 'no-category'
), $atts);
$query = new WP_Query(array(
'category_name' => $atts['category']]
));
if ($query->have_posts()) {
$output = '
- ‘;
- ' . get_the_title() . '
while ($query->have_posts()) {
$query->the_post();
$output .= '
‘;
}
$output .= '
‘;
wp_reset_postdata();
return $output;
} else {
return 'There are no publications in this category';
}
}
add_shortcode('category_publications', 'show_publications_by_category');
This shortcode can be used in any publication or page with the following format: [categoria_publications categoria="category_name"]].
Use of plugins to improve search by categories
There are several plugins in WordPress that can facilitate the search and display of content by category. Some of them are:
- Category Posts Widget: Allows you to display posts from a specific category in any widget area.
- WP Category Order: It allows you to reorganize the categories by means of a drag-and-drop system.
- Ultimate Category Excluder: Allows you to exclude categories from the main feed, which can be useful for content that you don't want to be visible.
Conclusions on the category search
Searching by category in WordPress is an essential practice for effective content management. Through menus, widgets and shortcodes, you can offer your users an easy and accessible way to find the content they are looking for. In addition, plugins can add additional functionality that further enhances the browsing experience on your site.
