Optimize categories
CataSEO can write SEO-optimized descriptions for your store’s categories, using the same brand voice and language as your product optimizations.
When to use it
Most stores use category pages for navigation but leave the descriptions blank or generic. Category descriptions:
- Help category pages rank for broader search terms.
- Give shoppers context before they browse individual products.
- Improve internal linking for SEO.
Run a category optimization
Open the Categories tab. Click Optimize All to generate descriptions for every category in scope, or pick specific categories to optimize.
Category optimization requires an active subscription.
Optimize one category from its dialog
In the Categories list, each row has a button. It reads Optimize until the category has a generated description, then Review. Review only opens the dialog, so it also shows on categories that are already approved or published.
In the dialog, click Generate Content (or Optimize Content if the category already has a description) to write a new version. Before the first run, CataSEO asks Optimize this content? and says: “This uses 1 express token and replaces the fields below with a fresh version.” Click Optimize (1 token) to continue, or Cancel. Tick Don’t warn me again to skip the prompt on later runs. The setting is shared by Categories and Brands.
When the run finishes, the status badge changes to Pending Approval and the button changes to Generate again. Generating again is free: it doesn’t use another token and doesn’t show the prompt. A new run replaces the fields in the dialog with the new version, including any edits you made since the last run.
Closing the dialog after a run keeps the generated text as a draft. Use Save Draft to save your edits, or Approve & Publish to publish.
Review and approve
Generated descriptions land in the categories review queue, the same approve-or-edit-then-approve flow as products. Click Accept All to approve every category at once, or approve individually. You can roll back via Undo Accept All on the Approved tab.
Category SEO score
Each category has an SEO score reflecting how well its description is set up for search. Empty or generic descriptions score low. Descriptions written with your brand voice and aligned to your category’s products score higher.
Tokens
Category optimization uses a separate token type from product optimization. It is included with batch subscriptions — the token allocation needed is provisioned automatically when you optimize categories.
If a category is missing
Your categories import automatically as part of connecting your store, alongside your products, so the Categories tab is already populated the first time you open it. After that, new or renamed categories usually show up within a few minutes of changing them on your store. If one hasn’t appeared, click Refresh from store at the top of the Categories tab — it re-reads your full category and brand list from your store right away, rather than waiting for the next check.
FAQ
Does “Generate again” in the category dialog cost a token? No. The first generation for a category uses 1 express token, and CataSEO asks you to confirm first. Generating again after that is free.
Why does the button on my category row say “Review” instead of “Optimize”? Review appears once a category has a generated description, including categories that are already approved or published. Clicking it opens the dialog so you can look at, edit, or regenerate the content.
Why is my category SEO score low even after optimization? The score reflects more than just having a description — it also factors in length, keyword presence, and how the description relates to the products in the category. If a category has very few products or unusual product types, scores can be lower despite a good description.
Does category optimization use the same tokens as product optimization? No. Categories and brands use their own token type, separate from express and batch product tokens.
Can I optimize sub-categories independently? Yes. Each category is its own entity in CataSEO and can be optimized, approved, or reverted on its own.
Do I need a subscription to optimize categories? Yes. Category and brand optimization requires an active batch subscription.
Should I optimize categories before products? Categories are often the better first move: there are far fewer of them, and each category page can rank for the broader searches (“hiking socks”) that individual products can’t win alone. Products then cover the specific searches. There’s no wrong order — the two reinforce each other.
I added a category on my store and it isn’t showing here. What do I do? Click Refresh from store at the top of the Categories view. It re-reads your categories directly from your store. If it’s still missing after that, contact support.
My category pages have no descriptions at all. Does that hurt my SEO? It’s a missed opportunity more than a penalty. An empty category page gives Google almost nothing to rank beyond the product list, so it rarely appears for the broad searches the category could own. Adding a well-written description is one of the fastest SEO improvements available to most stores.
I approved a category on WooCommerce and got an error instead of a published page. Why? On WooCommerce, category SEO title and meta description are written through the CataSEO connector plugin. If the plugin is deactivated, uninstalled, or unreachable at the moment you approve, the approval fails with an error and nothing is published — the category stays in your review queue so you don’t end up with a page marked approved that’s missing its SEO fields. Reactivate the plugin (see Connect a WooCommerce store) and approve again.