Tag

What Is a Tag?

A tag is one of WordPress's default taxonomies — specifically, a non-hierarchical taxonomy for organizing posts by specific topics. The WordPress developer handbook defines tags as keywords used for topics discussed in a particular post.

While categories are broad (like "Hosting" or "SEO"), tags are specific (like "Bluehost," "site speed," or "Google Analytics"). Think of categories as the chapters of a book and tags as the index entries.

Tags are optional — unlike categories, WordPress doesn't require you to add tags to a post. But when used well, they help visitors find related content across different categories.

Tags in Practice

You add tags when editing a post — type a keyword and press Enter, or separate multiple tags with commas. You can also manage all tags from Posts → Tags in your dashboard.

Each tag has:

• Name — what visitors see (e.g., "Page Speed")
• Slug — the URL version (e.g., page-speed)
• Description — optional, displayed by some themes

Every tag gets its own archive page at yoursite.com/tag/tag-name/ listing all posts with that tag.

Key differences from categories:

• Tags are flat (no parent/child hierarchy). Categories are hierarchical.
• Tags are optional. Every post needs at least one category.
• Tags are specific. Categories are broad.
• You can use many tags per post (5-10 is common). Stick to 1-2 categories.

Best practice: Don't create a tag you'll only use once. Tags are most useful when they group 3+ posts together. If a tag only applies to one post, it's not helping anyone find content.

Why It Matters

Tags help with discoverability. A visitor reading about WordPress hosting might click the "SiteGround" tag to find all your SiteGround-related content across different categories. Tags also generate additional archive pages that search engines can index. For more on organizing content for SEO, see our SEO checklist and guide to writing posts that rank.