WordPress Tutorial: Exclude Post Categories and Include Same Category Next/Previous Links.

If you’re like me, then chances are that today’s tutorial will help you out greatly.

When I started this blog journey almost 3 1/2 years ago, I focused on writing and sharing stories about search and content marketing in general.

But as with anything in life, things morph. They just simply morph without rhyme or reason at times.

In my case, things morphed because I continued to write about search and content marketing but then also honed my domain name marketing and investing.

This led me to write more content about proven domain name strategies while also providing a daily domain auctions list.

It went from one list to multiple lists that now include the following platforms:

Although I’ve had to place the lists on pause until I read the T’s and C’s of Commission Junction, I quickly noticed my blog becoming a user experience nightmare.

The Challenges of a Vanilla Install of WordPress.

I did not realize that a vanilla install of WordPress uses chronological allocation when listing posts.

Time-sensitive daily posts vs. Value-add content posts.

The problem with chronological posts is that my value-add content would be placed between time-sensitive daily auction lists.

For instance, a user could arrive at my blog and read an article about a domain name.

If I didn’t post an immediate article following this article, the initial article would likely have the next and previous post links to the daily auctions list that had long passed.

Not only were the next and previous post links an issue, but when users search and use a keyword in daily domain auction posts, those outdated posts would show up in search results instead of value-add content.

As you can tell, not a good user experience.

To remedy this unfortunate and pesky user experience, I uncovered a WordPress plugin, Ultimate Category Excluder, that excludes daily domain auction posts from a main blog page, post listings, RSS feeds, archives, and searches.

So, when you have time-sensitive posts such as contests or daily deal posts that expire, I encourage you to use Ultimate Category Excluder.

This plugin makes for an efficient user experience, allowing value-add content to remain on the main blog page for longer.

Although this plugin is good, it still doesn’t address the next and previous post link issue I mentioned above.

Unrelated next and previous post links.

To remedy this loose cannon of chronological next and previous post links, I added a bit of PHP code to the WordPress Single.php page in my theme.

The code I added allows for the next and previous post links to be shown within the same active post category.

This functionality of the same category next and previous post links is good. Why? It allows for a greater stickiness factor for readers to read additional posts, which lowers the website’s bounce rate and allows a greater opportunity for retained or boosted search rankings.

Update: I should have known there was a plugin for the same category next, and previous post links: Smarter Navigation.

Either way, whether by custom code or plugin, your readers are sure to love you a bit more and stick around reading more value-add content a while longer, excluding categories and providing the same category next and previous post links for posts.

A tutorial that cures both and much more…

Learn how to exclude categories and provide the same category next and previous post links for posts.

If you would like to see how I achieved both, then I invite you to watch the tutorial below:

Thanks, and let me know if you have any issues or questions. See you back here soon.

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Written by Alvin Brown
He's an experienced and passionate serial entrepreneur, founder and publisher of Kickstart Commerce. Alvin possesses a great love for startups dominating their market using profitable digital strategies for greater commerce.