How do I use categories and tags correctly in WordPress?
Applies to: WordPress.org and WordPress.com
Last updated: May 2025
Problem
You want to organize your blog posts for better structure, user navigation, and SEO—but you’re not sure how categories and tags work or when to use them.
Solution
WordPress provides two built-in taxonomies to organize posts:
- Categories: Broad topic groupings (required; hierarchical)
- Tags: Specific keywords or labels (optional; non-hierarchical)
Used properly, they help users find related content and improve site structure for search engines.
Categories: What and How to Use
- Think of categories as the main sections of your blog.
- Each post must have at least one category. If you don’t assign one, WordPress uses the default (usually “Uncategorized”).
- Categories can have subcategories, allowing for hierarchical organization.
Example:
A food blog might use categories like:
- Recipes
- Breakfast
- Dinner
- Reviews
- Tips & Tricks
How to Add Categories
- While editing a post, go to the Post settings sidebar
- Under Categories, click Add New Category
- Optionally, choose a Parent Category if creating a subcategory
- Select the category or categories you want to assign to the post
Tags: What and How to Use
- Tags describe specific details of the post
- There’s no hierarchy, and they’re optional
- They’re like keywords you would use to help readers find related content across categories
Example:
A breakfast recipe post might have tags like:
- Eggs
- Low-carb
- 10-minute meals
- Vegetarian
How to Add Tags
- In the post editor, go to the Tags section in the right sidebar
- Type each tag and press Enter
- You can also select from previously used tags
Best Practices
- Use categories for structure, and tags for detail
- Don’t over-tag: 5–15 relevant tags is enough
- Avoid creating nearly identical tags (e.g., “recipe” vs “recipes”)
- Use consistent naming conventions (e.g., singular or plural, not both)
Viewing and Managing Categories/Tags
- Go to Posts > Categories or Posts > Tags in the admin menu
- From here, you can:
- Edit names and slugs
- Add descriptions
- Delete unused terms
Notes
- Categories and tags are only available for posts, not pages
- Each category and tag has its own archive page (e.g.,
yoursite.com/category/recipes) - Clean taxonomy helps both users and search engines understand your content structure
