Setting Up Categories
Categories are the foundation of your Local Guide. They group your recommended places into logical sections -- such as Restaurants, Beaches, Activities, and Shopping -- so guests can quickly find what they are looking for.
Default categories
When you first open the Local Guide, seven categories are created for you automatically:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Restaurants | Dining spots, from casual to fine dining |
| Cafes & Bars | Coffee shops, bakeries, cocktail bars, nightlife |
| Shopping | Supermarkets, local markets, boutique shops, souvenirs |
| Activities | Hiking trails, water sports, guided tours, family activities |
| Sightseeing | Museums, historical sites, viewpoints, landmarks |
| Transport | Bus stops, taxi stands, car rentals, bike hire |
| Services | Pharmacies, hospitals, gas stations, laundromats |
You can rename, reorder, or delete any of these defaults. You can also add your own categories for things specific to your area, such as "Beaches", "Wineries", or "Nightlife".
Creating a category
- Go to the Local Guide section in the sidebar.
- Click "Add Category".
- Fill in the category fields (described below).
- Click Save to create the category.
Category fields
Each category has the following settings:
Name
The display name shown to guests (e.g., "Restaurants", "Beaches", "Things to Do"). Keep it short and recognizable.
Slug
An auto-generated URL-friendly version of the name (e.g., restaurants, things-to-do). You can customize the slug if needed, but it must be unique among your categories.
Icon
Each category has a FontAwesome icon that appears next to the category name in the guest view and in the admin list. The default icon is a location pin (fa-solid fa-location-dot), but you can choose from any FontAwesome icon -- for example, fa-solid fa-utensils for restaurants, fa-solid fa-umbrella-beach for beaches, or fa-solid fa-cart-shopping for shopping.
Color
A hex color code that is used as the accent color for this category in the guest-facing view. For example, #E74C3C for a warm red on your Restaurants category, or #3498DB for a blue on Beaches. This color is used for the category icon background, filter pills, and other visual accents.
Category image
An optional cover photo displayed when categories are shown as image tiles in the guest view. Upload a high-quality photo that represents the category -- for example, a food shot for Restaurants or a landscape for Sightseeing. The image is automatically compressed and resized to multiple sizes for optimal loading.
TIP
Category images only appear when the guidebook uses the category tiles display mode. If you use the filter pills mode instead, only the icon and color are shown. See Linking to a Guidebook for details on display modes.
Sort order
Controls the position of this category relative to others. You can set this by dragging and dropping categories in the admin list.
Reordering categories
The order of your categories determines how they appear to guests. To change the order:
- Open the Local Guide section.
- Drag and drop categories to rearrange them.
- The new order is saved automatically.
Put the most useful categories first. Most hosts place Restaurants at the top since it is the most frequently browsed category.
Translating category names
If your guests speak different languages, you can translate category names into any of the 22 supported languages:
English, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish, Greek, Hungarian, Romanian, and Ukrainian.
To add translations:
- Open the category for editing.
- Find the Translations section.
- Select a language and enter the translated category name.
- Repeat for each language your guests might use.
- Save the category.
When a guest views the guidebook, the category name is displayed in the language matching their browser settings (if a translation exists). If no translation is available for their language, the default name is shown.
How categories appear to guests
The guest experience depends on the display mode set for each guidebook:
Category tiles mode
Categories are shown as large, visual cards with the category image as a background. The category name and icon are overlaid on the image. This mode works best when you have uploaded a cover image for each category and have a manageable number of categories (roughly 3-8).
Filter pills mode
Categories are shown as compact, colored buttons with the category icon and name. This mode takes up less vertical space and works better when you have many categories or want the place list to be immediately visible.
Require category selection
When this option is enabled for a guidebook, the list of places is hidden until the guest selects a category. This is useful when you have a large number of places and want to avoid overwhelming guests with a long, unfiltered list. See Linking to a Guidebook for how to enable this setting.
Uncategorized places
Places are not required to belong to a category. If you add a place without assigning it to a category, it appears in an "uncategorized" group. However, for the best guest experience, it is recommended to assign every place to a category so guests can browse and filter effectively.
Editing and deleting categories
- To edit a category, click on it and update any field -- name, icon, color, image, or translations.
- To delete a category, remove it from the Local Guide list.
WARNING
Deleting a category removes all of its places permanently. If you want to keep the places, move them to a different category before deleting.
Using tags alongside categories
Categories provide the top-level grouping, while tags provide a second layer of filtering within (or across) categories. For example:
- Category: Restaurants --> Tags: "Italian", "Seafood", "Family-Friendly", "Fine Dining"
- Category: Activities --> Tags: "Water Sports", "Hiking", "Kids", "Rainy Day"
- Category: Beaches --> Tags: "Sandy", "Secluded", "Beach Bar", "Snorkeling"
Seven default tags are created for you: Family Friendly, Budget, Luxury, Walking Distance, Reservation Required, Hidden Gem, and Must Visit. You can rename these, delete them, or create your own.
Tags are optional but especially useful if you have many places in a single category.
Related
- Local Guide Overview
- Adding Places
- Linking to a Guidebook
- Guidebooks -- Display your Local Guide within a guidebook