I would create a single category named “myniche videos” (Obviously, replace myniche with your niche) and park ALL videos in that category.

Use tags to link common themed videos together, that way when a visitor is on one video, they will see the tags for other related videos.

I would also install some kind of reminder to all viewers of the site to “Suggest a New Video”, linked to your contact form, and setup your contact form to represent the info you need for the video.

Mark

I have decided to take the “How To” (thanks Mark for the inspiration on this one) aspect of my site into the world of YouTube by doing a series of videos where readers tell me what to do. I video the process then upload it to my YouTube channel. I think it will be a good thing long term but I am wondering what the best way to categorize these videos is. I have set up a category call “tell me what to do” that will have all of the posts/videos related to that but each of the videos will have in it some project specific instructions that could tecnically have their own category if they weren’t part of the video.

Should I create a “videos” page with a link to each of the vids as I do them and also link them to the video and other related categories? I want to emphasize the video aspect but still make sure that people can get the information they need.

Any thoughts?

You can rename your categories anytime you want, as long as you make sure you dont change the permalink. If you use WP 2.5 or better, you can see the permalinks as shown in the video on this post… so theres not much to worry about.

Just watch your 404 log and if you start seeing the old categories generating 404′s, just use a redirect plugin to handle the 301′s

Mark

I too like many who have post here did not put much thought in my categories. Do you think it woul help to go in and rename and reorganize the categories on an older blog or is it better to just make do with what I have.

I wish I would have visited your site some time back I have picked up alot here and my traffic is slowly starting to improve. Thanks for all you do.
Russ

Yes and No when it comes to the categories…

Yes, of course you want to use higher volume “General” phrases in your category names, but do not base the name on that alone. Your categories are merely a method to find your similar content and much more will go into your posts than anything else.

Design your categories as you would expect to find them elsewhere, ie: design for your visitors.

Mark

thanks…

igotmumps

I’ve tried to build out my sites as intuitively as possible but not until recently have I stepped back and considered categories BEFORE I wrote a post for it.

This all relates to reviewing your site’s objectives and making sure your visitors can easily find the things your research indicates they are looking for.

Keep up the good work, Mark!

Jeff

I’m glad you’ve started this series of posts. I can point my friends to your site so they can learn faster with me having to hold their hands.