What are WordPress Tags?
Last Updated on 19th September 2023 by Ajmer Singh
WordPress tags are words you use to ‘tag’ a post or web page and they can be really useful for SEO.
Tags are a kind of taxonomy used to define “What your article is about”.
Taxonomy is a word used to group things together, just like your WordPress posts.
Unlike categories, tags are optional.
Your posts are categorized by default but you need to manually create tags on every WordPress post.
| My Blogging Picks of 2023 |
|---|
WordPress Tags Overview
Tags on a WordPress blog or website are just like what they sound like.
They’re keywords you use to describe your posts so that they can be found easier.
To explain to you better, let’s take an example of SEO,
Blog post/Article Topic: What is SEO? Understand On-page & Off-page SEO.
Category: SEO (All the posts under the SEO category will appear here)
Tags: #SEO, #wordpress SEO, #Search engine optimization, #on-page SEO, #off-page SEO etc.
You can create as many tags as you want for every blog post.
You can even use common tags for every post but it’s recommended to use tags only that are related to the post.
Why You Should Use Them?
Using these tags for your blog posts is better than not using them at all.
They can help your website or blog rank better in search engine results pages (SERPs).
When you’re writing a post, think about what keywords or phrases people might use to find it. Then, add those tags to your post.
You can also use the tags that are automatically generated for you when you add a new post.
You can also use tags to group related posts together on your blog.
For example, if you have a post about travelling in Europe, you might tag it with ‘travelling’, ‘Europe’, and ‘vacation’.
How to Use Them?
Here are some general guidelines for using WordPress tags effectively:
1. Choose relevant tags:
When you create a new post, think about the main topics or themes that your content covers and choose relevant tags that reflect those topics.
This can help visitors and search engines understand what your content is about.
2. Use consistent tags:
It’s a good idea to use the same tags consistently across your site.
This can help improve the organization of your content and make it easier for visitors to find related content.
3. Don’t overuse tags:
Using too many tags can be counterproductive, as it can make your site look spammy and confuse both visitors and search engines.
Aim for 5-10 tags per post, and focus on the most relevant topics.
4. Use hierarchical tags:
If you have a complex site with multiple topics and subtopics, you can use hierarchical tags to organize your content.
For example, you might use a top-level tag for “Technology” and subtags for “Artificial Intelligence” and “Mobile Apps.”
5. Avoid duplicate tags:
Using the same tag for multiple posts can dilute the value of your tags and make it harder for search engines to understand the relevance of your content.
6. Use tags in combination with categories:
Categories are another way to organize your content, and they can be used in combination with tags to create a more structured and organized site.
Advantages & Disadvantages of WordPress Tags
Advantages of WordPress tags:
1. Improved site navigation:
Tags make it easier for visitors to find related content on your site, improving the overall navigation and user experience.
2. Better organization:
Tags can help organize your content into specific topics or themes, making it easier for visitors and search engines to understand what your site is about.
3. Increased internal linking:
Using tags can help you create internal links between related content on your site, which can improve the site’s structure and help search engines understand the relationships between different pages.
4. Potential for rich snippets:
Using tags effectively can increase the chances of your content appearing as a rich snippet in search results, which can improve click-through rates and traffic to your site.
5. Flexibility:
WordPress tags are flexible and can be used in a variety of ways, making them a versatile tool for improving the on-page SEO of your site.
Disadvantages of WordPress tags:
1. Overuse:
Using too many tags or using irrelevant tags can be counterproductive, making your site look spammy and confusing visitors and search engines.
2. Duplicate content:
Using the same tag for multiple posts can create duplicate content, which can dilute the value of your tags and make it harder for search engines to understand the relevance of your content.
3. Maintenance:
Using tags effectively requires ongoing maintenance and organization to ensure that your tags are consistent and relevant.
4. Limited impact on off-page SEO:
While tags can be useful for on-page SEO, they have a limited impact on off-page factors such as backlinks and social signals.
5. Potential for keyword stuffing:
Some users may be tempted to use tags as a way to stuff keywords into their content, which can be a black hat SEO tactic that can lead to penalties from search engines.
Tags vs Categories
Tags and categories are very different.
Tags are meant to describe keywords or phrases for a given post or page, while categories are used to put your posts into groups of similar things.
– Categories are used to group similar posts together, while tags are meant to describe keywords or phrases.
– Both categories and tags can help your website or blog rank better on search engine results pages (SERPs).
– Tags are a good way to target keywords for your posts.
– Both categories and tags can be added at any time.
– You can add as many tags as you want to a post, but only use a maximum of 5-6 categories.
– Tags should be used in comma-separated phrases.
– Categories are text, while tags are keywords or phrases that are either in quotes or not.
You should now have a good understanding of what WordPress tags are and their importance in SEO.
Use them to your advantage and you’ll see better search engine results for your website or blog.
You can create tags in two ways,
1. Whenever writing a WordPress post, you can always find a tags option at the right sidebar.
Just click on tags, and add as many tags as you want.
Here you can also find your most used tags. You can also use them with just one click.
2. Log in to your admin dashboard, on the left side, hover over to posts and click on tags.
Here you can add new tags as well as manage previous tags.
Tags are automatically displayed by most of the themes.
But if you want to display manually then you can display using widgets.
To create a widget that displays tags on the sidebar,
On your dashboard, hover over to appearance, and click on widgets.
Select the position where you want to display tags, like sidebar, top, bottom etc.
Then click on the + icon, and search “tag”. You will get tag cloud, add it & done.
Now your tags will display on the position you select.
To add or remove your tags to display in search engines you need to install the Yoast SEO plugin.
After installation, hover over to Yoast SEO on the left sidebar of your dashboard – click search appearance.
You will see some tabs,
- General
- Content types
- Media
- Taxonomies
- Archives
- Breadcrumbs
- RSS
Click on taxonomies, you can find three options, Categories, tags, and formats.
Click on tags and expand them.
Here you can select whether your tags are to be indexed on search engines or not.
Wrapping Up
Tags can be a really powerful tool for SEO when used correctly.
By using keywords and phrases that people might use to find your post, you can help your website or blog rank better in SERPs.
So, next time you’re writing a post, be sure to add some tags!
People also search for:
- Clickbait or Not: Deciphering the Impact of Clickbait Titles
- Small but Mighty: The Power of Micro Niche Blogging
- Understanding SEO Trio: On-Page, Off-Page, and Technical SEO in Focus
- Blogging Platforms Unveiled: Pros and Cons of WordPress and Blogger
- Content Originality Assurance: Methods for Checking Duplicates