Do category pages matter for AI visibility or should I focus only on product/content pages?

Category pages absolutely matter for AI - but for different queries than product pages.

Query types by page level:

Your thin category pages are missing opportunity:

When someone asks “what are the best running shoes for marathon training?” - your product pages can’t fully answer this. But a well-structured category page can.

The AI-optimized category page structure:

1. Intro (200-300 words): What is this category? Why does it matter?
2. Comparison table: Key products with key differentiators
3. Buying guide section: How to choose
4. FAQ section: Common questions about the category
5. Product highlights: Featured products with brief descriptions
6. Navigation: Links to subcategories and products

This transforms category from “navigation” to “citable resource.”

Here’s our category page template for AI optimization:

H1: [Category Name] - [Brief descriptor]

Intro paragraph (100 words): What is this category? Who is it for? Why does it matter?

H2: How to Choose the Best [Category] (200 words on selection criteria, what to consider)

H2: Types of [Category] (Brief overview of subcategories or variations)

H2: [Category] Comparison (Table comparing top products)

H2: Our Top [Category] Picks (Featured products with 50-word descriptions each)

H2: Frequently Asked Questions (5-7 common questions with direct answers)

H2: Related Categories (Internal links to adjacent categories)

This structure gives AI multiple extraction points and answers multiple query types.

This is great. We have about 100 category pages. Can’t optimize all of them.

Question: How do I prioritize which category pages to optimize first?

Category prioritization framework:

Score each category (1-5):

1. Search volume: How many people search for this category?
2. Revenue potential: What’s the average order value?
3. Current performance: How well does it rank already?
4. Competition: How competitive is this category in AI?
5. Content gap: How thin is current content?

Prioritization formula:

Priority = (Search volume x Revenue potential) / (Competition x Current performance improvement potential)

Simpler version:

Tier 1: High revenue, high search volume, thin content Tier 2: High revenue or high volume, needs improvement Tier 3: Moderate opportunity Tier 4: Low priority, address later

Practical approach for 100 categories:

1. Identify top 20 by revenue
2. Among those, find the 10 with thinnest content
3. Start with those 10
4. Measure impact, then expand

Don’t try to optimize all 100 at once. Start with highest-impact, iterate based on results.

Don’t forget the topical authority angle.

How category pages support product pages:

Category page establishes you as authority on the category. This authority flows down to individual product pages.

Example:

If your “Running Shoes” category page is comprehensive and authoritative, AI learns you’re a trusted source for running shoes. This helps your individual running shoe product pages get cited too.

The structure:

Category: Running Shoes (authoritative, comprehensive)
  └── Subcategory: Marathon Running Shoes
        └── Product: Marathon Pro X
        └── Product: EnduranceMax 3
  └── Subcategory: Trail Running Shoes
        └── Product: TrailMaster Z

Strong category content creates halo effect for products beneath it.

Invest in category pages not just for their own citations, but for the authority they pass to product pages.

Perfect. Here’s my plan:

Phase 1 (Month 1):

• Identify top 10 categories by revenue + content gap
• Apply template to these 10
• Measure baseline vs post-optimization

Phase 2 (Month 2-3):

• Expand to next 20 categories based on results
• Refine template based on what works
• Continue measurement

Phase 3 (Ongoing):

• Complete remaining high-priority categories
• Quarterly refresh cycle for top categories
• Monitor category citation rate with Am I Cited

What I’ll track:

• Category page citation rate
• Category page traffic
• Product page citations (to see if halo effect exists)
• Time to see impact

Does this approach make sense?

Quick wins while you’re optimizing:

Even without full rewrite:

1. Add FAQ section (30 min)

   • 5 common questions about the category
   • Direct answers
   • Use FAQPage schema

2. Expand intro (20 min)

   • Add 100-200 words of context
   • Include key selection criteria
   • Add “best for” recommendations

3. Add comparison element (45 min)

   • Even a simple table helps
   • Top 3-5 products compared
   • Key differentiators highlighted

These quick additions can improve citation potential significantly without full page rewrite.

For your top 10 priority categories, do full optimization. For the next 40, quick wins might be enough.

Measurement tips for category optimization:

Track these metrics:

1. Category citation rate - How often is this category page cited?
2. Query types - What queries cite the category page?
3. Position - Where are you mentioned when cited?
4. Traffic correlation - Does category traffic increase?
5. Product page impact - Do related product citations increase?

Tools:

• Am I Cited for citation tracking
• GA4 for traffic
• GSC for query data

Timeline for results:

Category page changes typically show impact in:

• 2-4 weeks for crawling/indexing
• 4-6 weeks for citation changes
• 8+ weeks for stable patterns

Measure monthly, make decisions quarterly. Don’t over-react to weekly fluctuations.