Getting Started with Categories (Product Catalog)

Why This Tutorial Matters

Business Impact: A well-structured category tree improves product findability, boosts conversion rates, and strengthens SEO by creating clean, keyword-rich URLs. Clear navigation reduces time-to-product, increases product views per session, and supports higher average order value.

What You'll Achieve: You'll create a category structure, configure display settings, assign products, enable layered navigation, optimize URLs and metadata, and verify that categories appear correctly in the storefront menu.

Learning Journey Overview

Your Situation

You have products live or in progress, but customers struggle to browse effectively. You need a clear category hierarchy that mirrors how shoppers think (for example, Men > Shoes > Sneakers), shows relevant filters, and supports SEO.

What You'll Learn

By completing this tutorial, you will:

  • Create root and subcategories (Admin sidebar > Catalog > Categories).
  • Configure category visibility (Enable Category, Include in Menu) and display settings (Display Mode, Anchor).
  • Assign products to categories and control product order (Position).
  • Optimize category URLs and metadata for SEO (URL Key, Meta Title, Meta Description).
  • Verify storefront navigation, layered filters, and category pages.
  • Troubleshoot common issues (category not visible, filters missing, 404 after rename).

Success Criteria

You'll know you've succeeded when:

  • Your new category appears in the top navigation and is clickable.
  • Assigned products display in the correct category with the intended sort order.
  • Layered navigation filters (for example, size, color, price) appear on category pages for Anchor categories.
  • The category page URL is readable (for example, /men/shoes/sneakers) and loads without 404 errors.

Time Investment

  • Estimated time: 9 minutes
  • Skill level after completion: Able to create and configure categories, assign products, and troubleshoot visibility
  • Business value unlock: Faster path-to-product and improved SEO through structured navigation

Before We Start

Who This Is For

This tutorial is designed for merchants and catalog managers using Magento Open Source or Adobe Commerce 2.4.x who manage site navigation and merchandising.

What You Need

Make sure you have:

  • Admin access with permissions for Catalog > Categories
  • Magento 2.4.x (Open Source or Adobe Commerce)
  • Optional: One or more sample products to assign (Status: Enabled; Visibility: Catalog or Catalog, Search; In Stock)

Preparation Checklist

Before starting, complete these preparation steps:

  • Sketch your category hierarchy (2–3 levels deep is ideal).
  • Decide category naming conventions (customer-friendly, keyword-rich).
  • Identify which categories should show filters (set Anchor = Yes for shoppable categories).
  • If using multiple store views, decide which root category each store will use.

Step-by-Step Learning Path

  1. Open Categories
  • Go to Admin sidebar > Catalog > Categories.
  • Use the Store View switcher (top-left) to select the correct scope (for example, Default Store View).
  1. Create a Root Category (optional)
  • Click Add Root Category.
  • In General, enter Name (for example, "Default Category" or your site name).
  • Set Enable Category = Yes.
  • Set Include in Menu = Yes (to show in top navigation).
  • Click Save.
  • To assign this root category to a store: go to Admin > Stores > All Stores > click your Store (under the Stores column) > set Root Category to the one you created > Save.
  1. Create a Subcategory
  • In Catalog > Categories, select the parent category.
  • Click Add Subcategory.
  • In General:
    • Name: for example, "Sneakers".
    • Enable Category = Yes.
    • Include in Menu = Yes.
  • In Content: add a Category Image (optional) and a concise Description to support SEO and conversions.
  • In Display Settings:
    • Display Mode: Products only (or Static block and products if you plan to add a CMS banner).
    • Anchor: Yes (enables layered navigation filters on the category page).
    • Available Product Listing Sort By: Position, Product Name, Price (select applicable).
    • Default Product Listing Sort By: Position (recommended for manual merchandising).
  • In Search Engine Optimization:
    • URL Key: lowercase-hyphenated (for example, sneakers).
    • Meta Title and Meta Description: concise and keyword-targeted.
  • Click Save.
  1. Assign Products to the Category
  • Open the Products in Category section.
  • Use filters and checkboxes to include or exclude products from the category.
  • Use the Position column to control product order (lower numbers show first). Drag-and-drop may be available depending on version.
  • Ensure each product is Enabled, In Stock, and has Visibility = Catalog or Catalog, Search.
  • Click Save.
  1. Verify on the Storefront
  • Visit the storefront and open the top navigation. Confirm the category appears.
  • Open the category page. Confirm products display and filters (layered navigation) appear for Anchor categories.
  • Confirm URL format matches your URL Key.
  1. Cache and Indexing (if changes do not appear)
  • Go to Admin > System > Cache Management and click Flush Magento Cache.
  • If indexers are set to Update by Schedule, allow cron to run. If needed, go to Admin > System > Tools > Index Management and reindex Category Products and related indexers.

Best practices embedded:

  • Set Anchor = Yes for shoppable categories to enable filters.
  • Set Default Product Listing Sort By = Position to highlight best-sellers and promotions.
  • Craft URL Keys with primary keywords and write compelling Meta Descriptions to improve SERP click-through.

Practice and Reinforcement

Now that you've learned the core process, let's reinforce your skills:

  • Create a seasonal subcategory (for example, "Back to School"), assign five products, and verify it appears in the menu.
  • Switch Anchor to No on a category and note the difference in filters; then turn it back to Yes.
  • Adjust product Positions to feature top sellers first and verify the order on the storefront.

What You've Accomplished

🎉 Congratulations! You have successfully:

  • Created a structured category tree, configured display and SEO settings, assigned products, verified storefront visibility, and learned how to clear cache or reindex when needed.

Business Impact

Customers can now find products faster via clear navigation and filters, reducing bounce and improving conversion. Clean URLs and on-page content improve organic search visibility.

Skills Gained

You now have the ability to:

  • Plan and create a category tree
  • Enable layered navigation via Anchor settings
  • Assign products to categories and control ordering
  • Configure SEO-friendly URLs and metadata for categories
  • Perform basic cache and indexing management

Next Steps in Your Journey

Now that you've mastered this process, here's how to build on your success:

Immediate Actions

  • Build out all primary and secondary categories based on your plan.
  • Merchandise top revenue categories by setting product positions.

Level Up Your Skills

  • Add a CMS static block banner to key categories (Display Mode: Static block and products).
  • Audit category names and URL Keys for keyword relevance and clarity.

Advanced Applications

  • Multi-store: Assign different root categories per store for localized navigation (Admin > Stores > All Stores).
  • SEO: Map redirects when renaming categories to avoid 404s (Marketing > SEO & Search > URL Rewrites).

When Things Don't Go as Expected

Even experienced merchants encounter challenges. Here's how to handle common situations:

  • Category not visible in menu: Ensure Enable Category = Yes and Include in Menu = Yes; confirm you're editing the correct Store View; flush cache.
  • Filters not showing: Set Anchor = Yes; ensure product attributes are set to Use in Layered Navigation and have values on products.
  • Products not appearing: Verify products are Enabled, In Stock, assigned to the category, and have Visibility that includes Catalog.
  • 404 after changing URL Key: Magento creates URL rewrites automatically; flush cache. If the issue persists, check Marketing > SEO & Search > URL Rewrites for conflicts.
  • Changes not visible: If indexers are set to Update by Schedule, wait for cron or reindex via System > Tools > Index Management.

Continue Learning

  • Product Attributes and Layered Navigation
  • Merchandising with Product Positions

How-To Guides

  • Configure URL Keys and Meta Data for Categories
  • Assign a Root Category to a Store View

Reference Materials

  • Catalog > Categories field reference
  • Layered Navigation configuration
  • URL Rewrites management

Summary

A clean category structure drives shopper discovery and SEO. Use Anchor categories for filters, Position for merchandising, and verify changes with cache and indexing routines.

Key Takeaways

  • Navigate to Admin sidebar > Catalog > Categories to build and manage your category tree.
  • Enable Category and Include in Menu control visibility; Anchor controls filters.
  • Use Position to curate product order and boost conversion.
  • Keep URL Keys readable and stable; add redirects when renaming.

Remember

Always work in the correct Store View, clear cache if changes don’t appear, and reindex when necessary to ensure storefront accuracy.

Edit this page on GitHub