Are these terms confusing to you? What on earth are tags and categories and how do you use them? Are they the same? Let’s find out.
What are Tags
A tag is a system of classification used to organize blog posts. You can use one or two words that describe something in your post. For example, if you write a post about affiliate marketing, you can use tags such as ‘marketing’ ‘affiliate’ affiliate marketing, passive income, etc.
While it isn’t necessary to use tags, they do help draw the immediate attention of a visitor coming to your site. Anything you can do to make a visitor’s experience easy means they will most likely come back again.
Is there a Limit on the Number of Tags
According to WordPress, there are no limits BUT more than a combination of 15 tags and categories won’t show up in the Reader (lists of similar posts). It is best to keep them relevant to your posts. This is also done to limit or avoid spam.
Will Tags help my Traffic?
Tagging in WordPress is a great way to increase the chances of a new visitor stopping by your site.
What better way to connect with like-minded people who love the same topics you do, whether it be cooking, photography, health and fitness, etc? If they see tags that attract them, they are more likely to click on your post.
How to add tags to Posts
1. Go to Dashboard in the backend of your WordPress website
2. Click on Posts
3. In the dropdown, click on Tags
4. Give the tag a name, and add a description (the slug is the permalink, is usually lowercase, and only contains letters, hyphens and numbers)
5. Click on Add New Tag
Tags can be viewed, edited or deleted here as well.
SUMMARY
There are several reasons to use Tags in your WordPress posts
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Improved management:
Ease of browsing and searching to find related content and move around a website.
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Enhanced SEO:
Search engines can easily find and understand the content.
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More traffic:
Readers are more apt to stay when they see related content as well as check out other content.
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Easier site navigation:
Allows readers to search your site for related topics thus giving the user a better experience.
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Easier to find on the web:
Users can easily find the topics they are interested in when using search engines.
What are Categories
A category is a system of classification used to help visitors quickly know what topics your website is about and allows them to navigate your site faster. You can organize your posts into sections.
For example, if you have an affiliate marketing website, you can include categories such as Blog, Learn Affiliate Marketing, Resources, Work from Home, Reviews, etc. Someone looking for ideas on Working from Home would be interested in that category on your website.
While it may not be necessary to use categories, it makes your website much more organized and offers a pleasant user experience for the visitor.
Is there a limit to the number of Categories
As mentioned above, it is wise to use no more than 15 categories and tags combined.
Do Categories Help with Traffic
Yes, categories can help with traffic if they are used in the correct way. These are the main topics added to your website so when a visitor arrives, if they are looking for a particular category, this will help them to quickly find the topic and are more likely to click on it.
How to Add Categories to Organize Content
1. Go to Dashboard in the backend of your WordPress website
2. Click on Posts
3. In the dropdown, click on Categories
4. Add the category name and description
5. Click on Add New Category
You can also view, edit and delete categories here.
SUMMARY
There are several reasons to use Categories in your WordPress posts:
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Managing content:
Topics (categories) allow a visitor to find content that he/she is looking for as they browse.
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Ease of use:
The visitor will have a better experience and may stay on your site longer if they can quickly find the content they are looking for.
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SEO optimization:
Aids search engines to quickly find and understand your content.
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Easier navigation:
Some sites such as cooking sites have a huge amount of content; If you break this down into categories, it helps the visitor to find what they are looking for easily.
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Content curation:
Categories allow you to give value and meaningful content to your readers/visitors by offering information that they want and are willing to look for.
CONCLUSION
We hope you have a better understanding of tags and categories, their differences, and how to use them effectively on your WordPress website. They are not etched in stone and you can always edit them, but remember that using them will provide your visitor with a much better visiting experience which in turn will boost your traffic.
