How to Create Parent and Child Knowledge Base Categories

Parent and child categories help you organise a larger knowledge base into clear sections.

A parent category is the main topic. Child categories sit underneath it and cover more specific parts of that topic.

For example:

• Getting Started
  • Installation
  • Activation
  • First-Time Setup

This type of structure is useful when one main category contains several different subjects.

When should you use child categories?

You do not need child categories for every knowledge base.

A small knowledge base with only a few articles will often be easier to browse using simple top-level categories.

Child categories become useful when:

• One category contains a large number of articles
• You want to separate different parts of the same topic
• Your documentation covers several products or services
• Visitors need a clearer path through a large help centre
• You want cleaner category URLs and breadcrumb trails

Try not to create extra levels unless they genuinely make the documentation easier to understand.

Create the parent category first

Before creating a child category, you need to create the main parent category.

To do this:

1. Sign in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Open Knowledge Base > Categories.
3. Enter the main category name.
4. Leave the Parent Category option set to None.
5. Add a description.
6. Add an icon or image if required.
7. Select Add New Category.

For example, you could create a parent category called:

Getting Started

This will become the main section for installation, activation and setup guides.

Create a child category

Once the parent category exists:

1. Stay on Knowledge Base > Categories.
2. Enter the child category name.
3. Add a slug if required.
4. Open the Parent Category dropdown.
5. Select the parent category.
6. Add a description.
7. Add an icon or custom image if required.
8. Select Add New Category.

For example:

• Category name: Installation
• Parent category: Getting Started

Installation will now sit underneath Getting Started in the category structure.

Example category structure

A SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base documentation area could use:

Getting Started

• Installation
• Activation
• First-Time Setup

Using the Plugin

• Creating Articles
• Managing Categories
• Search and Navigation
• Design Settings

Licence and Subscription

• Product Keys
• Monthly and Yearly Plans
• Licence Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

• Installation Problems
• Search Problems
• Article and Category Errors

You do not need to copy this structure exactly. Use categories that match the way your customers look for help.

Assign articles to a child category

To place an article inside a child category:

1. Open Knowledge Base > All Articles.
2. Select the article you want to edit.
3. Find the Knowledge Base Categories section.
4. Select the child category.
5. Update or publish the article.

For example, an article called How to Install SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base could be assigned to:

Getting Started > Installation

You can also assign the article to the parent category, but this is not always necessary.

Using the most specific category usually keeps the documentation easier to manage.

Should an article be assigned to both the parent and child category?

Usually, assigning the article to the most relevant child category is enough.

For example:

• Parent: Getting Started
• Child: Activation
• Article: How to Activate SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base

The article can be assigned to Activation without also being assigned to Getting Started.

Assigning articles to both levels may cause them to appear in more than one category list.

That may be useful in some cases, but it can also make the same article appear repeatedly.

How child categories affect URLs

Parent and child categories can create a clear URL structure.

For example:

example.com/kb-category/getting-started/installation/

This shows that Installation belongs underneath Getting Started.

The exact URL depends on your category base settings and whether the category base has been removed.

Avoid changing the parent category or slug after the URLs have been published and shared unless you also create redirects from the old addresses.

How child categories affect breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs can show the path from the main knowledge base to the current category or article.

For example:

Knowledge Base > Getting Started > Installation

This helps visitors understand where they are and makes it easier to move back through the documentation.

To use this feature, make sure breadcrumbs are enabled in the SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base settings.

How child categories appear on the homepage

The main knowledge base homepage is mainly designed to show top-level categories.

This keeps the homepage cleaner and avoids filling it with every child category.

Visitors can open the parent category and then move into the more specific sections underneath it.

For this reason, make sure your parent category names and descriptions are clear enough to guide visitors in the right direction.

Add descriptions to parent categories

A parent category description should explain the full group of topics inside it.

For example:

Learn how to install SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base, activate your licence and complete the first-time setup.

This gives visitors a good idea of what they will find before opening the category.

Add descriptions to child categories

A child category description should be more specific.

For example, an Installation category could use:

Find out how to upload, install and update SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base on your WordPress website.

An Activation category could use:

Learn how to find your product key, activate your licence and fix common activation errors.

Use a clear naming style

Keep category names consistent across the knowledge base.

For example:

• Installation
• Activation
• Customisation
• Troubleshooting

Or:

• Installing the Plugin
• Activating Your Licence
• Customising the Knowledge Base
• Fixing Common Problems

Both styles work, but mixing them too much can make the structure feel uneven.

Avoid too many category levels

Try to keep the structure simple.

In most cases, one parent level and one child level will be enough.

A structure like this is easy to follow:

• Getting Started
  • Installation
  • Activation

A structure like this may be harder to browse:

• Products
  • WordPress
    • Plugins
      • Knowledge Base
        • Installation

If visitors have to move through too many levels, it can take longer to find the right article.

Move an existing category under a parent

You can turn an existing top-level category into a child category.

To do this:

1. Open Knowledge Base > Categories.
2. Find the category you want to move.
3. Select Edit.
4. Open the Parent Category dropdown.
5. Select the new parent.
6. Select Update.

The category will now appear underneath the selected parent.

Its URL may also change, so check any existing links after making the change.

Move a child category back to the top level

To remove a child category from its parent:

1. Open Knowledge Base > Categories.
2. Edit the child category.
3. Change Parent Category to None.
4. Select Update.

The category will become a top-level category.

Its URL and breadcrumb path may change.

Change the parent category

You can move a child category from one parent to another.

For example, you could move Licence Activation from Getting Started to Licence and Subscription.

After changing the parent:

• Check the category URL
• Check article breadcrumbs
• Test links to the category
• Clear the website cache
• Refresh WordPress permalinks if needed

To refresh permalinks:

1. Open Settings > Permalinks.
2. Select Save Changes.
3. Test the category again.

Delete a parent category

Deleting a parent category does not normally delete the child categories or the articles inside them.

However, the structure may change and child categories may move to the top level.

Before deleting a parent category:

1. Review its child categories.
2. Move them to another parent if needed.
3. Check the articles assigned to it.
4. Update any links pointing to the category.
5. Test the public knowledge base afterwards.

It is usually better to reorganise the categories first rather than deleting the parent immediately.

A child category is not appearing

If a child category is missing, check that:

• The category was created successfully
• The correct parent was selected
• At least one published article is assigned to it
• The article is not marked as unlisted
• The category page is publicly available
• The website cache has been cleared

Remember that child categories may not appear as separate cards on the main homepage.

Open the parent category to check the structure.

The category URL returns a 404 error

If changing the parent causes a page not found error:

1. Open Settings > Permalinks.
2. Select Save Changes.
3. Clear the website cache.
4. Open the category again.

Also check that another WordPress page or category is not using the same slug.

Recommended category structure

For most knowledge bases, a simple structure works best:

• Use top-level categories for main subjects
• Use child categories only when a main subject needs dividing
• Keep articles inside the most specific relevant category
• Avoid creating empty categories
• Avoid using several levels of nesting
• Review the structure as the documentation grows

A clear category structure helps visitors find answers faster and also improves breadcrumbs, recommendations and article organisation.