A category archive template controls how posts from a category are listed. Preserve the category context so the same shared template can show different content for different category URLs.
IN THIS ARTICLE
01 Choose the intended scope
Decide whether you want a design for all category archives or a special layout for one category. A theme can use general archive templates and more specific category templates. Record the current hierarchy before creating an exception that may override a broader design.
Prepare test categories with several posts, a long description and few or no posts. These reveal differences that a single well-populated category can hide.
02 Edit the archive layout
- Open the Site Editor and locate the relevant category or archive template.
- Use dynamic archive-title and description elements where supported so the heading reflects the current category.
- Review the Query Loop and keep the inherited archive query when the template should follow the requested category.
- Arrange result cards with useful titles, excerpts and optional images, and include pagination where needed.
- Save the intended template after checking its shared parts and styles.
03 Verify multiple category URLs
Visit several categories and confirm that each title and post list changes appropriately. Check the second result page and a category containing a post without a featured image. A hardcoded category filter can make every archive show the same collection even though the headings differ.
Inspect the mobile layout and ensure long descriptions do not overwhelm the post list. Category descriptions are optional editorial content, so the template should also work when one is empty.
Why does a category use a different archive template?
If a category ignores the edited design, check whether a more specific template exists. If the correct design appears but posts are wrong, inspect the query configuration and actual post assignments separately.
Do not rename or delete categories to fix a display problem. Those actions can affect archive URLs and editorial organisation. Preserve existing links when changing a category slug, and keep the template change focused on how the collection is presented. For a one-off curated landing page, an ordinary page with an explicit query may be more suitable than altering the shared archive.