Organizing with categories

Categories are the backbone of a well-structured help center. They group related articles together, making it easy for customers to browse topics and find answers on their own. A thoughtful category structure reduces support volume and improves the overall self-service experience for your customers.

Why categories matter

Without categories, your help center is just a flat list of articles. Categories create a logical hierarchy that helps customers navigate intuitively. They also help your team stay organized as your knowledge base grows over time.

Creating categories

1. Select your portal from the help center settings.
2. Click 'New Category'.
3. Enter a name that clearly describes the topic area (e.g., "Billing & Payments" or "Getting Started").
4. Add a description that summarizes what customers will find in this category. This text often appears on your help center's main page, so make it concise and helpful.
5. Choose the appropriate locale to ensure the category is associated with the correct language version of your help center.
6. Save your new category and begin adding articles to it.

Best practices for organizing categories

• Keep it simple: Aim for 5–10 top-level categories. Too many categories can overwhelm visitors and make navigation harder, not easier.
• Use clear, customer-friendly names: Choose labels your customers would naturally search for rather than internal jargon. For example, use "Returns & Refunds" instead of "Post-Purchase Ops."
• Write meaningful descriptions: A short description helps customers confirm they're in the right place and can improve search relevance.
• Review regularly: As you add new articles, revisit your category structure to ensure it still makes sense. Merge or split categories when needed.
• Order intentionally: Place your most popular or important categories near the top so customers find high-demand topics quickly.

Common pitfalls

• Creating too many categories too early: Start with a few broad categories and refine as your content library grows.
• Vague category names: Names like "General" or "Miscellaneous" provide little guidance. Be specific so customers know what to expect.
• Forgetting the locale: If you support multiple languages, ensure each category is assigned to the correct locale to avoid content appearing in the wrong language version.

Frequently asked questions

Can I rename or edit a category after creating it?

Yes. You can update a category's name, description, and other details at any time. Changes will be reflected on your help center once saved.

What happens to articles if I delete a category?

Before deleting a category, make sure to reassign any articles it contains to another category. This ensures no content becomes orphaned or inaccessible to your customers.

How many articles should a single category contain?

There is no strict limit, but a good rule of thumb is to keep each category between 5 and 20 articles. If a category grows significantly beyond that, consider splitting it into more focused subcategories for easier navigation.