WordPress categories and tags are both used to organize your site content, but they ultimately play slightly different roles. Understanding the difference will help you with your site’s SEO (search engine optimization), which is important for attracting visitors to your website.
In this article we’ll explain what WordPress categories and tags are, the best way to use them, and how they can impact your SEO rankings.
The Difference Between Categories & Tags
WordPress categories are for broadly defining topics. They are for general groupings that cover many of your posts.
For example, if you have a blog about movies then your categories might include “Comedy” and “Horror.” Your categories can be hierarchical, so under “Comedy” you could break it down into sub-categories like “Rom-Coms” and “Slapstick”.
WordPress tags are for specific topics. They identify the important keywords in your content.
For example, in our blog about movies if we had a post about The Wizard of Oz then our tags could be “wicked witch” or “Judy Garland.” Tags are not hierarchical, so you can’t create sub-tags.
Every WordPress post must have a category. If you don’t assign your post a category then it will default to “Uncategorized,” but you can rename the default category (more information in the next section). Tags, however, are optional. You do not need to use them if you don’t want to.
How to Add or Edit WordPress Categories & Tags
When you create or edit a post, you will find the Categories & Tags on the right side of the screen.
If you are using the block editor then both the categories and tags settings will be under the Post tab. If you are using the classic editor then you will find them in self-contained boxes, under the “Publish” button.
You can also create new categories and tags, or edit existing ones, by going to Posts > Categories or Posts > Tags.
(To rename your default category, go to Posts > Categories and click the Edit button underneath the “Uncategorized” category. To change your default category, go to Settings > Writing.)
Add Categories and Tags in the Block Editor
Add Categories and Tags in the Classic Editor
WordPress Categories & Tags Impact on SEO
SEO (or “Search Engine Optimization”) is very important for bringing an audience to your website. By optimizing your content search engines like Google will know what your content is about and will direct people to your site if they are searching for something related to that topic.
If you are using categories and tags thoughtfully, with terms that apply to your content, then they can help Google navigate and understand your website to deliver users who are interested in your posts.
However, you do need to be careful. There are several common mistakes that can hurt your SEO when using categories and tags.
Don’t duplicate categories and tags
If you have duplicate categories and tags then Google does not know which content to rank first and you may end up with the less important content being promoted higher in search rankings.
Don’t use categories or tags if they don’t apply to your content
Sometimes called “keyword stuffing,” if you have assigned categories and tags to your content that don’t truly apply to your post then visitors won’t stay on your website as it doesn’t match what they are looking for. Google may also decide that your content is low quality and may rank your site lower in search results as a penalty.
Don’t use too many categories or tags
When you create a new category or tag on your WordPress site, an archive page will be automatically created. Then, any time you add that category or tag to a post, the post will show up on the archive page. Here is an example of our “How To” tag’s archive page.
If you create lots of categories and tags that you only use once or twice, then every one of those terms will have its own archive page but many of them will be almost empty. Google is less likely to recommend pages that don’t have much content on them, and if your site has lots of “empty” pages Google may penalize your site and drop you further in search rankings.
Guidelines for Categories & Tags Use
How many categories should your site have?
You want enough categories on your site to be able to sort every post into one that fits, but not so many that each category only has one or two posts in it. Generally, somewhere between 5 and 10 categories is a good number.
If you’re just getting started then you will probably only have a few categories, and as your site grows you may have more than 10. You just want to make sure that your categories match your content and are not sitting mostly empty.
Should you use sub-categories?
Only if you want to and only if it makes sense for the content on your blog. This site, Let’s Website Build, does not currently use sub-categories.
If you have a category that is becoming very broad with a large number of posts in it, then sub-categories can be a great way to further organize your content.
Can you give a post more than one category?
You can. However, you should only do so if the content truly fits both categories. Assigning multiple categories to your post will not help your SEO, and can sometimes actually hurt your SEO. It is generally best to assign just one category to each post.
How many tags can a post have?
There is no limit to the number of tags assigned to a post, but as a general rule try not to go over around 10 tags maximum per post. WordPress and search engines will use your tags to help understand your content. If you have too many tags then the important keywords in your post will get watered down and possibly not recognized.
Do capital letters affect tags & categories?
No– capital letters don’t change categories or tags. “Comedy” and “comedy” will be considered the same thing.
Can you change how category and tags look in search results?
Yes– by using a plugin like Yoast or All in One SEO (AIOSEO) you can change how your categories and tags appear in search results. You will find those settings under “Taxonomies” in both plugins.
So what’s next?
Time to start writing! The most important thing to remember with WordPress categories and tags is that they are there to help your site users find the information they are interested in.
- Categories are for the general topic of your post
- Tags are for the specific topics within the post
Categories and tags organize your content, so use them sparingly and with your users in mind!
