Taxonomies Settings

Configure SEO settings for categories, tags, and custom taxonomies.

Taxonomy settings control the default SEO templates for archive pages. Individual terms can override these defaults.

Overview

Understanding taxonomy SEO settings in ProRank SEO

The Taxonomies tab allows you to configure default SEO settings for taxonomy archive pages:

Categories: Default WordPress post categories
Tags: Default WordPress post tags
Custom Taxonomies: WooCommerce product categories, custom taxonomies from plugins
Hierarchical Taxonomies: Nested categories with parent-child relationships

Archive pages often rank well for broad keywords. Optimize them carefully to capture category-level search traffic.

Search Appearance Settings

Control how taxonomy archives appear in search results

Core Settings

Show in Search Results

Enable or disable indexing for taxonomy archive pages. Consider your site structure carefully.

Disabling categories can prevent duplicate content issues, but you may lose valuable archive page rankings.

Noindex Empty Terms

Automatically add noindex to taxonomy terms with no posts. Prevents thin content issues.

<!-- Added to empty category pages -->
<meta name="robots" content="noindex, follow" />

SEO Title Template

Default title pattern for taxonomy archive pages.

Common patterns:
Categories: %term% Archives %sep% %sitename%
Tags: Posts tagged "%term%" %sep% %sitename%
Product Categories: %term% Products %sep% Shop %sep% %sitename%

Meta Description Template

Template for meta descriptions on archive pages.

Variables for taxonomies:
%term% - Term name
%term_description% - Term description
%count% - Number of posts
%parent% - Parent term (if hierarchical)

Pagination Handling

ProRank SEO automatically handles paginated archives:

Page 1: "WordPress Tips %sep% %sitename%"
Page 2: "WordPress Tips %sep% Page 2 %sep% %sitename%"
Page 3: "WordPress Tips %sep% Page 3 %sep% %sitename%"

Canonical URLs point to the current page
rel="prev" and rel="next" tags are added automatically

URL Structure

Optimize your taxonomy URL structure

Remove Term Base

Remove the category or tag base from URLs for cleaner permalinks:

Categories: example.com/category/wordpress/
Tags: example.com/tag/seo-tips/
Custom: example.com/product-cat/electronics/

After changing URL structure, ProRank SEO automatically sets up 301 redirects from old URLs.

Hierarchical URL Structure

For hierarchical taxonomies, maintain parent-child relationships in URLs:

Parent: example.com/electronics/
Child: example.com/electronics/laptops/
Grandchild: example.com/electronics/laptops/gaming/

Social Media Appearance
Premium

Customize how taxonomy archives appear on social media

Default Social Image

Set a fallback image for taxonomy archives. You can also set custom images for individual terms.

Use category-specific imagery
Create branded templates for consistency
Recommended size: 1200x630px

Social Templates

Social Title: Browse %count% %term% Articles
Social Description: Discover our collection of %term% content, tutorials, and guides.

Schema Settings

Configure structured data for taxonomy archives

Schema Types for Archives

CollectionPage (Default)

Best for most category and tag archives. Indicates a page that lists other pages.

ItemList

Use for ordered lists or when you want to emphasize the list structure.

FAQPage

For FAQ category pages that list questions and answers.

Breadcrumb Schema

ProRank SEO automatically generates breadcrumb schema for hierarchical taxonomies:

{
  "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
  "itemListElement": [
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 1,
      "name": "Home",
      "item": "https://example.com/"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 2,
      "name": "Electronics",
      "item": "https://example.com/electronics/"
    },
    {
      "@type": "ListItem",
      "position": 3,
      "name": "Laptops",
      "item": "https://example.com/electronics/laptops/"
    }
  ]
}

Additional Settings

Advanced configuration for taxonomies

Enable SEO Controls

Show SEO fields when editing individual terms. Allows per-term customization.

Enable Bulk Editing

Allow bulk editing of term SEO data. Useful for large taxonomies.

Show in XML Sitemap

Include taxonomy archives in your XML sitemap. Only indexed terms are included.

Custom Fields Analysis

Premium

Include term meta fields in SEO analysis. Useful for ACF or custom term meta.

Example fields:
- custom_title
- seo_keywords
- category_icon
- featured_products

Example: WooCommerce Product Categories

Optimizing e-commerce category pages

E-commerce Specific Settings

Product category pages are crucial for e-commerce SEO:

Title: %term% | Buy Online | Free Shipping over $50
Description: Shop our selection of %term% with %count% products. ✓ Best prices ✓ Fast shipping ✓ 30-day returns

Variables:
%product_count% - Number of products
%price_range% - Min-max price
%brands% - Brands in category
%sale_items% - Number of items on sale

Category Page Optimization Tips

Add unique category descriptions (avoid manufacturer copy)
Include buying guides or category information
Use faceted navigation carefully to avoid duplicate content
Implement pagination correctly with rel=prev/next
Add category-specific FAQ sections

Best Practices

Recommendations for taxonomy SEO

✓

Write Unique Term Descriptions

Add substantial, unique content to important category pages to improve rankings.

✓

Optimize High-Traffic Categories First

Focus on categories that already receive traffic or have high search volume.

✓

Use Strategic Internal Linking

Link to important categories from your homepage and main navigation.

✓

Monitor for Thin Content

Use the "noindex empty terms" feature to prevent indexing of categories with little content.

⚠

Avoid Over-Categorization

Too many similar categories can cause keyword cannibalization and dilute page authority.