WordPress Tags Explained

WordPress tag: a tool for content organization

Core points:

• WordPress tags are used as keywords and complement each other with the category catalog, providing another way to sort and identify content. They are not subcategories and can be used across multiple categories.
• Tags can be added, edited, and deleted in the Tag Manager in the Admin Panel, or operated directly in the editor when creating or editing articles. However, the operation of deleting the tag cannot be revoked.
• WordPress provides the default gadget "Tag Cloud" to display the tags used on the website. The size of each tag in the cloud corresponds to its usage frequency, helping visitors identify common topics.
• Tags should be used with caution, like book indexing, to avoid overuse causing confusion. It is recommended to use 5-10 related tags per article.

WordPress provides two content sorting functions by default: category directories and tags. Some plugins and themes will add their own taxonomy, but these two are the most commonly used.

However, some users do not understand why both are used. After all, the category catalog is enough to sort articles, so the second sorting seems redundant. But that's not the case.

This article will explain the practicality of WordPress tags. We will then explain how to add, edit, and delete tags. Finally, we will introduce the default gadget provided by WordPress - Tag Cloud.

If you are not familiar with the use of category catalogs in WordPress, you can refer to my article "Detailed Explanation of WordPress Category Catalog".

Is the

tag really useful?

I often encounter people asking if tags are useful and how to use them. As a blogger I write multiple articles a day, so I know the tags are very useful. Now, let me show you their practicality.

tags can complement the sorting function of category directories. However, they are not subcategories, and it is wrong to treat them as subcategories (you can already create subcategories using the classification directory system).

tags are keywords.

This is a very short definition (in my opinion), but you should keep this in mind when you want to tag your post.

Let's give an example to explain this definition. Suppose you have a category called "Pictures" that contains a subcategory called "Cute Animals". One day, you posted a photo of a cute kitten in this category. For this article, you can create a tag called "Kitten" or "Cat" and give this tag to all cats' pictures.

At this point, the tag may still appear redundant, as the "cat" subcategory can handle this.

Now let's say you have another category called "Internet Interesting News" where you will post interesting content you encountered and need to share. One day, you find a very interesting website about cats. For this post, you can still create a "cat" subcategory under "Interesting News", but this will result in two categories with the same name. Here is an example of a label that might be better choice.

This is just an example, but it helps to illustrate that labels are similar to categories, but they are not categories, they are complementary to categories. They are a way to sort articles, but can appear in multiple categories. That's why we can't simply treat them as subcategories.

It is a good idea to consider reusing the tags you are adding. Using tags to sort articles is good, but it is not good to have dozens of tags per article. To find the right balance, think of the book index: In this index, you want to find a complete list of keywords, rather than a list of useless words like “the”.

Tag management

Add tag

From Tag Manager

You can find the list of tags you are using in the Tags entry under the Articles menu in the admin panel. If you've used Category Manager, the structure of this page should be familiar, as it's basically the same.

To create a new tag, you can use the form on the left just like you would create a category. There are three fields, but only one is required: the tag name, the name that is visible to the user.

If you enable URL rewriting, slug will be used in the URL. Typically, it is the name of the tag, optimized for use with URLs (lowercase, without any spaces or special characters). If you leave this field blank, WordPress will automatically generate slugs based on the label name, so if you were going to do this, you can leave this field blank.

You can add a description to the tag, but this is optional. When the user displays a list of articles assigned to a given tag, some topics display the description. However, not every topic uses this feature, so make sure your topic displays this description before filling in fields that may be useless, or you want to use this description to define the role of the tag in the admin panel.

In contrast to what we found in the category, there is no relationship between tags: you cannot set one tag to a subtitle of another tag. "Sub-keywords" don't make much sense.

From the editor

If you want to use tags, it's worth knowing that there is another way to add tags, which is more commonly used in practice, as it happens in the editor.

When you add a new post or edit an article, you can find a "tag" block. In this block you will find a field where you can type a label and click the "Add" button.

When you click this button, WordPress will associate your post with the tag you just typed. If this tag did not exist before, it will exist now and you can use it in other posts.

To speed up, you can simply press the "Enter" key on the keyboard instead of clicking the "Add" button. You can also assign multiple tags by separating them by commas. Therefore, you cannot use commas within the new tag name from this field (you can, but only from the tag manager seen above). Finally, note that WordPress automatically retrieves tags for you that contain the letters you are typing, which is useful for making sure you don't accidentally create new tags that are too close to the existing ones.

Below this field, you will find a list of tags used by the current article. You can click the cross icon visible next to each tab to remove it from the article you are editing. However, this does not remove the tag: it still exists in the tag list even if no article uses it.

Edit and delete tags

Editing or deleting a tag is exactly the same as editing or deleting a category. You find the correct tag in the list (in Tag Manager), hover over it, and then display the options.

Be careful: The operation of deleting a tag cannot be undoed. If some articles use this tag, it will be removed from the list of tags used.

If you edit a tag, the modification will appear on the article where the tag is assigned. This will be useful if you have added tags in multiple posts and noticed errors in the tag name: by editing the tag itself, the error will be fixed in each post.

Use the default gadget to display the tag

Your topic should usually display the tags used in each post. But what if you want to show a list of tags you use everywhere like a category?

Tag list can help your users understand the topics you discuss in your blog. To let you do this, WordPress provides a default widget that allows you to display "Tag Cloud".

Tag cloud is basically a series of links to the tags you use, separated by spaces. Some CSS is used to enhance it.

By default, WordPress sets the font size for each link in the style property. This size is calculated based on the number of articles used per tag: the more tags are used, the larger it is. Your visitors can then directly identify topics that appear more frequently in your blog: they will be displayed in larger sizes than other topics.

Please note that if you use many tags, this widget will not display all tags. In fact, WordPress only displays 45 most commonly used tags. This way, you can use hundreds of tags without worrying about the size of this gadget.

Conclusion

tags are a great way to sort content using keywords. They can help your users find topics that interest them and are useful in many blogs.

For example, if you have a cooking blog, you can use tags to help categorize content based on the ingredients you use. If your blog focuses on high-tech devices, you can tag articles based on the device you are discussing. The possibilities are endless.

In this article, I describe how tags work and how to use them. In future articles, we will go a step further by using the Tags API to understand how to display the tags the way we want.

WordPress Tag FAQ

How to add tags to my WordPress posts?

Adding tags to your WordPress posts is an easy process. First, navigate to your WordPress dashboard and select Articles. Select the article you want to add tags and click Edit. On the right, you will see a section marked "Tag". Here you can type the tags you want to add, separating each tag with a comma. After adding all the tags, click "Update" to save the changes. Remember, tags are useful for organizing your content and helping users find relevant articles.

Can I display a list of all tags on my WordPress site?

Yes, you can display a list of all tags on your WordPress website. This can be done by using the Tag Cloud widget. Navigate to Appearance in your WordPress dashboard, and then to Widgets. Drag the Tag Cloud widget to the desired area, such as your sidebar or footer. This will automatically display a list of all labels.

How to remove tags from WordPress articles?

Removing tags from WordPress posts is as easy as adding tags. Go to your WordPress dashboard and select Articles. Select the article from which you want to delete the tag and click Edit. In the Tags section on the right, click "X" next to the tag you want to delete. Don't forget to click "Update" to save the changes.

What is the difference between tags and categories in WordPress?

While tags and categories are used to organize content in WordPress, they have different uses. Categories are used to group articles extensively. Think of these as general topics or directories for the website. On the other hand, the tag is more specific and describes the details of the article. They are like index words at the end of the book.

How many tags should I use in each post in WordPress?

There are no hard and fast rules on how many tags you should use in each article in WordPress. However, it is important to keep them relevant and practical. Using too many tags can make your content look cluttered and can confuse readers. A good rule of thumb is to stick to 5-10 tags per article.

Can I use spaces in WordPress tags?

Yes, you can use spaces in WordPress tags. When you type a label with spaces, WordPress treats it as two separate words. For example, if you type "apple pie", WordPress creates a tag for "apple" and a separate tag for "pie".

How to edit slugs for tags in WordPress?

To edit the slug of the tag in WordPress, go to Articles on the WordPress dashboard and go to Tags. Click Edit under the tab you want to change. Here you can edit slug, which is the URL-friendly version of the tag. Remember to click "Update" to save the changes.

Can I convert tags to categories in WordPress?

Yes, you can convert labels to categories in WordPress. This can be done by using Tools on the WordPress dashboard and then using Category and Tag Converter under Import. Follow the prompts to convert your tags to categories.

How to display the most popular tags on my WordPress site?

Showing the most popular tags on WordPress websites can be done by using the Tag Cloud widget. This widget will automatically highlight the tags you use most. Simply navigate to Appearance on the WordPress dashboard, then navigate to Widgets, and drag the Tag Cloud widget to the desired area.

Can I delete unused tags in WordPress?

Yes, you can delete unused tags in WordPress. Go to Articles on your WordPress dashboard and go to Tags. Here you can see a list of all the tags. Click "Delete" under the tag you want to delete. Be careful, this operation cannot be cancelled.

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