Knowledge Base
Organizing with Categories
Categories give your knowledge base structure, helping customers navigate to the right information quickly. A well-organized category structure makes your help center intuitive and easy to use.
What Are Categories?
Categories are containers for related articles. They appear as sections in your knowledge base, and customers can browse by category or search across all content.
Creating Categories
Add a New Category
- Go to Knowledge Base > Categories
- Click Create Category
- Enter a name
- Optionally add a description
- Choose an icon
- Click Save
Category Properties
| Property | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Name | The category title shown to customers |
| Description | Brief text explaining what's in this category |
| Icon | Visual identifier in the category list |
| Order | Position in the category list (drag to reorder) |
Category Structure
Flat Structure
For smaller knowledge bases, use a simple flat structure:
Getting Started
Features
Billing
Troubleshooting
Best for: Fewer than 30 articles
Nested Structure
For larger knowledge bases, use nested categories:
Getting Started
├── Quick Start
├── Installation
└── First Project
Features
├── Dashboard
├── Reports
└── Integrations
Account & Billing
├── Account Settings
├── Payment Methods
└── Invoices
Best for: 30+ articles
Creating Subcategories
- Go to Knowledge Base > Categories
- Click Create Category
- Select a Parent Category
- Fill in the details
- Click Save
Planning Your Structure
Start with Customer Questions
Think about what customers ask:
- "How do I get started?"
- "How do I do X feature?"
- "I'm having a problem with Y"
- "What does this cost?"
These become your top-level categories.
Group Related Topics
Within each area, group related articles:
Billing (category)
- How to update payment method (article)
- Understanding your invoice (article)
- Requesting a refund (article)
- Changing your plan (article)
Use Customer Language
Name categories using words customers use, not internal jargon:
- Good: "Billing & Payments"
- Less effective: "Financial Administration"
Keep It Shallow
Avoid deep nesting. Customers shouldn't need more than 2 clicks to find any article:
- ✓ Category → Article
- ✓ Category → Subcategory → Article
- ✗ Category → Sub → Sub → Sub → Article
Reordering Categories
Drag and drop categories to change their order:
- Go to Knowledge Base > Categories
- Hover over the drag handle (⋮⋮)
- Drag to the desired position
- Order is saved automatically
Ordering tips:
- Put "Getting Started" first
- Order by customer journey (setup → daily use → advanced)
- Group related categories together
Moving Articles Between Categories
To move an article:
- Open the article
- Click the category dropdown
- Select the new category
- Save
Or from the article list:
- Select articles with checkboxes
- Click Move to Category
- Choose the destination
Category Best Practices
Limit Top-Level Categories
Aim for 4-7 top-level categories. Too many overwhelms customers:
- ✓ 5 clear categories
- ✗ 15 granular categories
Use Descriptive Names
Category names should be self-explanatory:
| Good | Less Clear |
|---|---|
| Getting Started | Onboarding |
| Troubleshooting | Support |
| Account Settings | Administration |
| API & Integrations | Technical |
Don't Create Empty Categories
Only create a category when you have articles for it. Empty categories:
- Look incomplete
- Frustrate customers
- Clutter navigation
Review and Refine
Periodically review your structure:
- Are categories balanced (similar number of articles)?
- Do category names still make sense?
- Are there orphaned articles that don't fit?
- Should any categories be merged or split?
Categories and AI
Your category structure affects AI responses:
- Clear categories help AI understand context
- Well-organized content leads to better AI answers
- Consistent naming improves AI accuracy
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