How to Assign an Article to a Knowledge Base Category

Categories help keep your SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base organised and make it easier for visitors to find the right information.

When creating or editing an article, you can assign it to the category that best matches the subject of the guide.

Assign a category to a new article

To assign a category while creating an article:

1. Sign in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Open Knowledge Base > Add Article.
3. Enter the article title and content.
4. Find the Knowledge Base Categories section in the article editor.
5. Select the category you want to use.
6. Finish adding the article details.
7. Select Publish.

The article will then appear on the selected category page.

For example, an article called How to Activate SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base could be assigned to a category called Licence and Subscription.

Assign a category to an existing article

You can change the category of an article at any time.

To do this:

1. Open Knowledge Base > All Articles.
2. Select the article you want to edit.
3. Find the Knowledge Base Categories section.
4. Select the new category.
5. Remove any category that no longer applies.
6. Select Update.

Open the public category page afterwards and check that the article appears in the correct place.

Choosing the right category

Choose the category that most closely matches the main purpose of the article.

For example:

• Installation guides could go in Getting Started
• Product key guides could go in Licence and Subscription
• Colour and layout guides could go in Customisation
• Error solutions could go in Troubleshooting
• Article management guides could go in Creating Articles

Avoid choosing a category simply because one word from the article matches its name.

Think about where a visitor would naturally look for that guide.

Can an article use more than one category?

Yes. A knowledge base article can be assigned to more than one category.

This can be useful when an article genuinely belongs in two sections.

For example, a guide called Fix Licence Details Not Recognised could fit under:

• Licence and Subscription
• Troubleshooting

However, assigning articles to several categories can make the same guide appear in several places.

For most articles, one main category will keep the knowledge base easier to manage.

Use more than one category only when it helps visitors rather than simply increasing the number of places where the article appears.

Using parent and child categories

If your knowledge base uses parent and child categories, assign the article to the most specific category.

For example:

• Parent category: Getting Started
• Child category: Installation
• Article: How to Install SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base

In this case, assigning the article to Installation is normally enough.

You do not usually need to select both Installation and Getting Started.

Selecting both may cause the article to appear in more than one category list.

What happens when an article has a category?

The selected category can affect several parts of SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base.

It may be used for:

• Category article lists
• Breadcrumbs
• Related Articles
• Recommended Articles
• Article sidebars
• Structured data
• Knowledge base navigation

Choosing categories carefully helps these features show more relevant information.

For example, an activation guide assigned to Licence and Subscription is more likely to be shown alongside other licence articles.

How categories affect Related Articles

SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base can use the article category when choosing Related Articles.

Articles in the same category are treated as more closely connected.

For example, an article about finding a product key may be shown alongside guides covering activation, subscription plans or licence errors.

If articles are placed in unrelated categories, the related content may be less useful.

How categories affect Recommended Articles

The recommended article feature also looks for content from the same category.

If a suitable article is found, it can be displayed near the bottom of the guide.

When no suitable article exists in the same category, the plugin may use another recently updated article instead.

A well-organised category structure helps improve the recommendations shown to visitors.

How categories affect breadcrumbs

Breadcrumbs can show the visitor where an article sits within the knowledge base.

For example:

Knowledge Base > Licence and Subscription > How to Activate SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base

If the category is a child category, the breadcrumb may also include its parent.

For example:

Knowledge Base > Getting Started > Installation > How to Install SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base

This gives visitors a clear route back to the wider section.

What happens if no category is selected?

An article can still be published without a category, but it may be harder for visitors to find.

An uncategorised article may not appear where expected on:

• Category pages
• Category article lists
• Related content
• Recommended content
• Breadcrumb navigation

It may still be available through its direct URL and knowledge base search, provided it is published and not marked as unlisted.

For a public article, assigning a suitable category is recommended.

Create a category from the article editor

Depending on your WordPress editor, you may be able to create a new category without leaving the article.

Look for an Add New Category option inside the Knowledge Base Categories panel.

Enter the category name and choose a parent if required.

For more control over the description, slug, icon and image, create the category through:

Knowledge Base > Categories

You can then return to the article and select it.

Changing an article to another category

If an article has been placed in the wrong section:

1. Edit the article.
2. Select the correct category.
3. Untick the old category.
4. Select Update.
5. Open both category pages and check the results.

The article URL will normally stay the same because article URLs are not built from the selected category.

However, the breadcrumb path, related content and category listings may change.

Removing an article from a category

To remove an article from a category:

1. Open the article editor.
2. Find the Knowledge Base Categories section.
3. Untick the category.
4. Select Update.

If no other category is selected, the article will become uncategorised.

The article is not deleted and its direct URL should continue to work.

Using Quick Edit

The Quick Edit option on the All Articles screen may allow you to change article categories without opening the full editor.

To use it:

1. Open Knowledge Base > All Articles.
2. Find the article.
3. Select Quick Edit.
4. Change the selected categories.
5. Select Update.

This is useful when several articles need to be reorganised.

Use the full article editor when you also need to review the content, excerpt or article options.

Change categories for several articles

WordPress bulk editing may allow you to add a category to several articles at once.

To do this:

1. Open Knowledge Base > All Articles.
2. Select the articles you want to update.
3. Choose Edit from the Bulk Actions menu.
4. Select Apply.
5. Choose the category.
6. Select Update.

Check the articles afterwards, as WordPress bulk editing may add a category without removing the categories already selected.

For larger changes, it may be safer to edit each article individually.

The article does not appear in the category

If the article is missing from the category page, check that:

• The article is published
• The correct category is selected
• The article is not in Draft or Trash
• The article is not marked as unlisted
• Your SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base licence is active
• The website cache has been cleared
• You are viewing the correct category page

Open the article editor and select Update again after checking the category.

The article appears in too many categories

If the same article appears in several sections, it may have more than one category selected.

To fix this:

1. Open the article editor.
2. Review the Knowledge Base Categories panel.
3. Untick any categories that are not needed.
4. Leave the most relevant category selected.
5. Select Update.

Clear your website cache and check the public category pages again.

Related Articles do not match the article

If the related content feels unrelated, review the selected category.

Articles assigned to broad or incorrect categories may be matched with content that is not especially useful.

You may need to:

• Move the article to a more specific category
• Create a new category for that topic
• Reorganise other articles in the same section
• Use child categories to separate a large subject

A smaller, focused category often produces better related and recommended content.

Category assignment checklist

Before publishing an article, check that:

• A category has been selected
• The category matches the main subject
• The article is not assigned to unnecessary categories
• The most specific child category is used where appropriate
• The article appears on the correct category page
• Breadcrumbs show the expected path
• Related and recommended content make sense

The article is now organised within the correct part of your knowledge base.