WordPress categories and tags help you organize your content for your audience. Understanding what they are and how to use them effectively will increase audience engagement and pageviews for your blog.
Imagine that you are reading a blog post on a new blog you just discovered and you love it! After you finish the post, you are eager to read other posts on the topic. The problem is, you can’t find them!
The home page only contains the most recent posts, none of which is your topic of interest. There is no search bar and no clear way to navigate or locate the posts you are searching for.
Wouldn’t this frustrate you? You bet. What would you do? You would leave, right? What do you think your readers would do?
To avoid this abandonment, it is important for you to use WordPress categories and tags effectively for your blog.
*This post contains affiliate links. That means that if you make a purchase after clicking on a link I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, click here.
What’s the Difference Between Categories and Tags?
Both WordPresss categories and tags are used to organize and connect your blog posts. They make it easier for your audience to find the content they want. However, there are some differences between the two.
Related Posts:
- How to Prevent Malware from Infecting Your WordPress Blog
- 12 Blog Design Problems That Are Killing Your Blog
- The 9 Best Bloggers for New Bloggers to Follow
Categories
The categories of a blog are often compared to chapters in a book. They cover broad topics for your blog. For example, “Marketing” and “Writing Content” are two of my blog’s categories. These cover a broad range of posts on my blog.
The “Marketing” category contains the posts; How to Use SEO to Drive Traffic to Your New (or Old) Website and Marketing Your Blog for the New Blogger: What You Should (and Shouldn’t) Do. Although the first post is about SEO and the second is a general marketing article, both fall under the Marketing umbrella.
If a reader is interested in marketing their blog, any marketing blog posts may interest them. It only makes sense to include these posts under the same category to be easy for your audience to locate.
Tags
Whereas categories are the chapters of a book, tags are compared to an index. They are more targeted topics.
For this specific post, I am using the tags; wordpress, writing blog posts, organizing, and planning.
Think about it this way; If you look up WordPress in the index of a book, you would expect to find pages where that topic is mentioned. This is the purpose of tags as well.
Tags may exist within multiple categories but are more narrow than searching for a category, which covers multiple, more targeted topics.
How to Use Categories for Sorting and Navigation
Your WordPress website offers a “Categories” widget for a reason. The basic widget allows you to list your posts by category or you can use a drop-down menu for your readers to choose a category.
I wanted more control over my Categories and currently use the WordPress plug-in “Category Posts Widget” by TipTopPress. I like the extended category widget because it allows me to customize the image, what appears, where it appears, and in what order.
I created a page to direct to each category instead of the typical default one that is created by my theme. Once again, this is a control issue for me. I want the posts to appear organized, clean, and easy to read. A plug-in helps me do that fast and easy.
How to Use Tags
If you have or plan to have multiple posts on the same narrow topic, such as “SEO” or “WordPress Plug-ins,” use tags to link these posts together. Having too many and too narrow categories can limit your blog and make it chaotic to navigate.
Tags simply appear at the bottom of your posts. If a reader clicks on a tag following a post, they will be redirected to other posts sharing that tag. Since tags are more narrow, it can help your reader locate content closely related to the topic.
Since tags are the index of your blog, the post may just quickly mention the topic of the tag. The entirety of post may contain other related or unrelated topics. It simply helps you locate the information you are looking for quickly.
WordPress Categories and Tags Improve Engagement
If you have not read my post Who is Your Blog Audience? Get to Know Your Readers Using Google Analytics, it details how to break down the Google Analytics metrics to better understand your audience. Engagement is a huge part of analytics because it details the behavior of your audience.
A reader who is annoyed or frustrated by your blog’s lack of navigation will leave, increasing abandonment and decreasing engagement. WordPress categories and tags make it easier for your audience to navigate and remove this obstacle. This allows your audience to engage with your blog.
Whether it is visiting multiple pages, leaving comments on your posts, or signing up for your email list, navigation makes it all easier. It gives your blog a greater chance at success and having repeat visitors.
How Do You Use Categories and Tags for Your Blog?
I want to hear from you. Do you have any questions or comments about this post? If so, please feel free to leave a comment below.
Before you go, sign up for my email list below and receive your FREE printable copy of my Blog Post Checklists. This set of checklists helps you write SEO optimized blog posts faster and better.
wassas baf94a4655 https://coub.com/stories/4899807-descargar-doomsday-dispute-u672b-u65e5-u7eb7-u4e89-version-completa-2021
leofzant baf94a4655 https://coub.com/stories/4918191-descargar-fifefer-island-terrena-s-adventure-gratuita
marchry baf94a4655 https://coub.com/stories/4932181-descargar-one-last-memory-version-pirateada
neveben baf94a4655 https://coub.com/stories/4924415-dimension-drifter-version-pirateada
maktor baf94a4655 https://trello.com/c/Gb0MnKJv/68-tribloos-3-versi%C3%B3n-completa
maldeja baf94a4655 https://trello.com/c/GUoIhtoL/49-descargar-survarium-gratuita-2021
nedelin baf94a4655 https://trello.com/c/gzSID9VG/80-descargar-quickerflak-versi%C3%B3n-completa-gratuita-2021
carbet baf94a4655 https://coub.com/stories/4941267-mortos-version-completa-2022
osy6yam baf94a4655 https://coub.com/stories/4925051-superfighters-deluxe-gratuita-2022
rosaike baf94a4655 https://coub.com/stories/4932045-deception-version-completa-2021
compvyd a60238a8ce https://coub.com/stories/4895727-the-deletion
savaredl a60238a8ce https://coub.com/stories/4892145-prison-planet-2020
wesnew a60238a8ce https://coub.com/stories/4897328-love-n-dream
padujav a60238a8ce https://www.guilded.gg/elevycvsets-Warlocks/overview/news/A6jn8bX6
jamimpo a60238a8ce https://coub.com/stories/4889427-pirate-island
wylnish ef2a72b085 https://wakelet.com/wake/opRjjFWryFSbeLm4BDiEL
harsha ef2a72b085 https://wakelet.com/wake/Bxr6p6Wxs8IgQ6jdMx4Y_
yellpro ef2a72b085 https://wakelet.com/wake/nb6cLkgibKzwxBun_KgtX
harvary ef2a72b085 https://wakelet.com/wake/qTzrMG9O9mgQFtiruXyxp
safehala ef2a72b085 https://wakelet.com/wake/H1NxEP95m7waqiyiq0NUX
nanzal ef2a72b085 https://wakelet.com/wake/GjwKOX2-LfI8ZKNB5ZGks
maksefro ef2a72b085 https://wakelet.com/wake/PmPcjOCEIWnZ3uSBVGbK2
englhug ef2a72b085 https://wakelet.com/wake/CeFgJngBqAUtBV7d8iFJP
It might be the simplest way which you could have a done for the affiliate website at zero Price tag to you.
I do agree with all of the ideas you have introduced for your post. They’re really convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very brief for newbies. May just you please prolong them a little from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.
Has anyone shopped at Sky Liquid Vapor Ecigarette Shop located in 1031 Broadway St?
the real deal,well done
looking forward to more post
Has anybody shopped at VapeTank? xx
https://timesinternational.net/the-benefits-of-buying-a-plumbing-franchise/
Only a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw outstanding pattern.
This is the right blog for anyone who wants to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I actually would want…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic thats been written about for years. Great stuff, just great!
denhele 63b95dad73 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=8gaetroldie.CRACK-Windows-10-Pro-V1709-EnUS-64bit-ACTiVATEDHOBBiT-naetdar
valyil 63b95dad73 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=vitas93.McAfee-Endpoint-Security-1059-Crack-Mac-Osx-TOP
kaftann 63b95dad73 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=7mastari-ne.Securecrt-73-License-Key-Serial-Numberl
wilign 63b95dad73 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=7bueretheike.FREE-Pixelan-SpiceMaster-Pro-301-Key
claugius 63b95dad73 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=taojune.The-Sims-2-Keygen-Crack-Demon-Productions–Demonpr-REPACK
piljan 63b95dad73 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=6idcremconno.UPDATED-Mercedes-Navi-Dvd-Comand-Aps-Ntg4-Europe-W204-Down
jaishube 63b95dad73 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=dronmix.Megatech-MegaCAD-2D-3D-2012-Full-BEST-Version-Download
olyvhart 63b95dad73 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=9placimjuha.X-Force-Keygen-LINK-FBX-2013-64-Bit-Tam-Indir
yalehay 63b95dad73 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=pwbankk.Windows-8-Release-Preview-Activation-Crack-Hit-eeremari
thorches 63b95dad73 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=DoctorZaz.Six–X-2012-Telugu-Movie-Torrent-TOP-Download
claast 9ff3f182a5 https://www.kaggle.com/code/maidrisunac/swades-movie-download-kickass-torrent-reagaty
tailyen 9ff3f182a5 https://www.kaggle.com/code/nerkehyze/playtoy-peach-model
marevale 9ff3f182a5 https://www.kaggle.com/code/ciecravtonbu/windows-7-loader-1-7-1-by-daz-rar-chaywar
beagcho e494b75024 https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=8laulensae-yu.Avengers-Age-Of-Ultron-2015-1080p-BRRip-X264-Dual–TOP
Hey there! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new apple iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the fantastic work!
Let me know Hellbent Vapor ecig shop in 109 S. Cumberland St. sells e-juice manufactured by Beach Bum by Skull & Roses? I have tried sending them an email at at zack@ztmc.com
Thank you, Jackie, for helping me to understand the difference between categories and tags and how to use them in a better way for the benefits of my current and future audience.
This post is great for new bloggers like me as they try to make their way into the blogging world.
Once again thank you.
Thank you, Jackie, for helping me to understand the difference between categories and tags and how to use them in a better way for the benefits of my current and future audience.
This post is great for new bloggers like me as they try to make their way into the blogging world.
Once again thank you.
You are very welcome!
Such an intersting crticle! Now I know that I use catergories in the right way and tags in a completely wrong way. Have to do some work on that!
Thanks so much for the useful tips.
You are very welcome! You won’t believe the difference it will make in your pageviews per session. Here’s another tip: you can edit your tags from the “quick edit” option in the “Posts” dashboard menu. You don’t need to go into each post individually to make those changes. This should save you some time. 😉
I also use tags mainly to make navigation easier. Tags are even more flexible than categories, see https://chattymango.com/4-reasons-organize-wordpress-tags-2-levels/
You can even have the same tag under multiple parent levels – unlike categories.
Thank you for your comment Chris! Yes, tags are much more flexible and more targetted to a specific topic.