How to Create Categories & Tags in WordPress

Creating and using categories and tags in WordPress is a fundamental part of organizing your content and improving your site’s SEO. Both categories and tags help group your content in a way that makes it easier for users to navigate, and they also help search engines understand the topics your posts cover. Let’s walk through how to create and use categories and tags in WordPress.

1. Understanding Categories and Tags

Before we dive into the how-to, it’s important to understand the difference between categories and tags:

• Categories: Categories are broad groupings of your content. They help organize your posts into main topics or themes. WordPress comes with a default category (usually called “Uncategorized”), but you can create as many custom categories as you need. For example, if you run a food blog, you might have categories like “Breakfast Recipes,” “Desserts,” or “Healthy Eating.”
• Tags: Tags are more specific keywords that describe individual details of a post. They help further categorize content by topics that are often mentioned within a post. For example, a post in the “Desserts” category might include tags like “chocolate,” “cake,” or “easy recipes.”

In short:

• Categories are used for broader grouping of your content.
• Tags are used for more specific topics related to each individual post.

2. Creating Categories in WordPress

You can create categories either while writing a new post or through the Categories section in your WordPress dashboard. Here’s how to do it in both ways:

Option 1: Create Categories While Writing a Post

1. Go to Posts > Add New: In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Posts > Add New.
2. Find the Categories Box: On the right-hand side, you’ll see the Categories section.
3. Add a New Category:
   • If you want to use an existing category, simply check the box next to the category name.
   • If you want to create a new category, click + Add New Category.
   • Type the name of your new category in the text field and select a Parent Category if needed. (Parent categories are used for subcategories.)
   • Click Add New Category to save it.
4. Publish Your Post: Once your post is ready and you’ve selected the appropriate categories, click Publish.

Option 2: Create Categories Through the Dashboard

1. Go to Posts > Categories: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Posts > Categories.
2. Add New Category:
   • On the left side, you’ll see a form to create a new category. Enter the name, slug (the URL-friendly version of the name), and a description (optional).
   • If you want to create a subcategory, select a Parent Category from the dropdown.
   • Click Add New Category to save it.

Tip: You can organize your blog in a hierarchical way by setting parent and child categories. For instance, you could create a parent category called “Recipes” and then add subcategories like “Breakfast,” “Lunch,” and “Dinner.”

3. Creating Tags in WordPress

Tags are also simple to create, and you can add them either while writing a new post or through the Tags section in the WordPress dashboard.

Option 1: Create Tags While Writing a Post

1. Go to Posts > Add New: Navigate to Posts > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Find the Tags Box: On the right-hand side, you will see a section labeled Tags.
3. Add New Tags:
   • Simply type the tags you want to use, separated by commas. For example, for a dessert post, you might type “chocolate, cake, easy recipes.”
   • Press Enter or Add to save the tags.
4. Publish Your Post: Once you’ve added your tags, make sure to hit Publish to make your post live.

Option 2: Create Tags Through the Dashboard

1. Go to Posts > Tags: In the WordPress dashboard, go to Posts > Tags.
2. Add New Tag:
   • You will see a form to create a new tag. Enter the name of the tag, the slug (optional), and a description (optional).
   • Once filled out, click Add New Tag to save it.

Tip: Tags are usually short and more specific than categories. For example, if you write a post about “Chocolate Cake,” your tags might include “chocolate,” “cake,” “dessert,” and “baking.”

4. Assigning Categories and Tags to Posts

Once you’ve created your categories and tags, you can assign them to individual posts. Here’s how:

1. While Writing a Post:
   • Under the Categories box, check the box next to the category or categories you want to assign to the post.
   • In the Tags box, type the tags relevant to the post and hit Enter.
2. For Existing Posts:
   • Go to Posts > All Posts in your WordPress dashboard.
   • Hover over the post you want to edit and click Edit.
   • Under the Categories and Tags sections on the right, you can add or remove categories and tags as needed.
   • Click Update to save changes.

5. Best Practices for Using Categories and Tags

• Don’t Overuse Categories: You don’t need to assign every post to multiple categories. Aim for 3–5 categories to keep your site organized and easy to navigate.
• Limit Tags to Relevant Keywords: Don’t overuse tags. Focus on specific keywords that are closely related to the content of the post. Around 5–10 tags per post is usually a good range.
• Avoid Overlapping Categories and Tags: Don’t assign a tag that is essentially the same as a category (e.g., “Desserts” as both a category and a tag). Keep categories and tags distinct.
• Use Categories for General Grouping and Tags for Specifics: Categories should represent broad topics of your site (e.g., “Recipes,” “Travel Tips,” “Health”), while tags should capture specific details or themes within your posts (e.g., “Vegan,” “Budget Travel,” “Running Tips”).

6. Displaying Categories and Tags on Your Site

WordPress automatically displays categories and tags on your blog posts. However, you can customize how they appear:

• Categories in Post Meta: Most WordPress themes display the categories of a post below the title or near the post’s metadata.
• Tag Cloud Widget: To display a cloud of popular tags in a sidebar or footer, go to Appearance > Widgets and drag the Tag Cloud widget to your desired area.
• Category Archives: When you click on a category or tag, WordPress will show an archive page with all the posts assigned to that category or tag. You can link to these archive pages for easy navigation.

7. Managing Categories and Tags

As your blog grows, you may find the need to manage your categories and tags. WordPress provides tools for this:

• Bulk Edit Categories: You can assign or remove categories from multiple posts at once by going to Posts > All Posts, selecting multiple posts, and using the Bulk Actions dropdown.
• Merge Categories or Tags: If you end up with redundant categories or tags, you can use a plugin like Term Management Tools to merge them.

Conclusion

Categories and tags are essential tools for organizing your WordPress blog, making it easier for both visitors and search engines to find relevant content. Categories offer broad groupings of content, while tags help describe specific topics within individual posts. By using them effectively, you’ll improve your site’s usability, SEO, and overall user experience. Remember to keep your categories broad and tags specific, and don’t overcomplicate the organization.