# WordPress taxonomies - Metadata and structure that help to group related posts - Aid reader in finding related content - WordPress has two public-facing taxonomies: 1. [[WordPress taxonomies#Categories|Categories]] 2. [[WordPress taxonomies#Tags|Tags]] ## Categories - Mental model: Table of contents - Every post needs a category. - Hierarchical; allows for related sub-categories. - Intended for broad categories. - You can assign multiple categories to a post. - But if there is too much overlap, may be a warning sign that categories are too narrow. - Multiple categories is not recommended for [[Search engine optimization|SEO]] - Can be displayed on blog as widget - Default is “uncategorized” but this can be changed via *My Site → Posts → Categories*. - Ideal range is 5–10 categories, but no more than 10. - If you’re starting out… 3–5! ## Tags - Mental model: Index - Not every post needs a tag. - Non-hierarchical. - Can be very narrowly applied. - Can be displayed on blog as widget (tag cloud) - Not case dependent - Recommended about 10 tags maximum per post if you use them ## Custom - There are plugins to be able to create your own custom taxonomies (example, to track authors or genres) - Achieved through plugin or custom coding - Unclear if this would benefit search or [[Search engine optimization|SEO]] in any practical way though. - Probably never going to use this for my site. 🤷‍♀️ --- # ## Resources - https://wordpress.com/support/posts/categories/ - https://wordpress.com/support/posts/tags/ - [wpbeginner: Categories vs Tags – SEO Best Practices for Sorting your Content](https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/categories-vs-tags-seo-best-practices-which-one-is-better/)