Category pages with 20+ words above the grid (stricter exclusion, full crawl)
| Group | Pages | 20+ words % |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 125 | 39.2% |
| Other platforms | 37 | 48.6% |
| Rank #1 to #3 | 50 | 46.0% |
| Rank #4 to #10 | 48 | 43.8% |
| Rank #11 to #20 | 67 | 38.8% |
| Apparel and jewelry | 52 | 44.2% |
| Home, kitchen and garden | 47 | 42.6% |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026. Uses the stricter rule that also strips header and navigation class names; groups are small.
Summary
A short intro above the product grid gives shoppers context before they scroll and gives search engines some text that describes the collection. We checked how many ranking category pages actually show one on a phone.
On a small sample, a little over half do. 57.6% of 92 ranking category pages with a detectable product grid show at least 20 words above the first product card, with a median of 25 words. Long intros are rare, and the result depends a lot on how strictly you exclude navigation text.
What we measured
We loaded category pages that rank in Google results at phone size in October 2026.
For each page we found the first product card and counted the visible words above it, excluding header and navigation elements. A product grid was detected on 165 of 281 rendered category pages, and 92 of those are in the headline base. Text below the grid is not counted, so pages that put their category copy at the bottom score as having none.
Most category pages show a short intro
57.6% of the 92 category pages show at least 20 words above the first product card. The median page shows 25.0 words above the grid, which is about one or two sentences.
Long intros are uncommon. Only 9.8% of pages show 100 or more words above the grid. Most stores that use intro text keep it short, likely so the products stay near the top of the screen.
57.6%
Share of 92 ranking category pages with a detectable product grid that show at least 20 words above the first product on a phone.
A stricter filter lowers the share
The definition matters here. A stricter rule that also strips elements whose class names mark them as header or navigation lowers the share with 20+ words to 40.2% and the median to 10.0 words. Some of the text counted under the first rule is likely menu, breadcrumb or filter text.
On the stricter rule, Shopify category pages show 20+ words above the grid on 39.2% of 125 pages, against 48.6% of 37 pages on other platforms. The groups are small, so treat that gap as a hint rather than a firm result.
What this means for your site
A short intro is common on ranking category pages, but it is not universal and it rarely runs long. If your category pages show no text above the grid, adding one or two plain sentences is a small change: say what the collection is, who it is for and what makes it different.
Keep it short on mobile so products stay close to the top. Make sure the intro is real text in the HTML, not an image or a collapsed block. Then check the page on a phone to confirm the first product row is still visible without much scrolling.
Sources
- PageSpeed Matters phone-size render of category pages ranking in Google results, October 2026
Embed this research
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<script>window.addEventListener("message",function(e){if(e&&e.data&&e.data.psmEmbed==="category-page-intro-text"&&e.data.height){var f=document.getElementById("psm-category-page-intro-text");if(f){f.style.height=e.data.height+"px";}}});</script>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/category-page-intro-text">Category Page Intro Text: 57.6% of Top Category Pages - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
How many words should a category page intro have?
There is no fixed rule, but most ranking category pages keep it short. The median page in our sample shows 25.0 words above the product grid on a phone, and only 9.8% show 100 or more.
Do top-ranking category pages have intro text?
A little over half do. 57.6% of 92 ranking category pages with a detectable product grid show at least 20 words above the first product. On a stricter rule that strips more navigation text, the share is 40.2%.
Do Shopify category pages have less intro text?
On the stricter rule, 39.2% of 125 Shopify category pages show 20+ words above the grid, against 48.6% of 37 pages on other platforms. The groups are small, so the gap is only a hint.
A short, useful intro above the grid is one of the simplest category page changes, and it gives both shoppers and search engines more to work with. Need help with this? See our on-page SEO services.