Do WordPress Tags Help SEO? 5 Best Practices for Proper Tags

If you have spent time managing a WordPress site, you have likely come across categories and tags. But do WordPress tags help SEO? Are they necessary, or just another organizational tool that has no real impact? 

Let’s break it all down in a way that actually makes sense.

WordPress Categories vs. Tags: What’s the Difference?

Before we get into SEO, it’s important to understand what categories and tags actually do in WordPress.

Categories

Consider these to be your website’s table of contents. They provide your content a hierarchical framework and establish major topics. A travel blog, for instance, would feature sections for “Destinations,” “Travel Advice,” and “Gear Reviews.”

Tags

These are keywords for your posts. They provide a more specific way to classify content. Sticking with the travel blog example, a post about a trip to Bali could have tags like “Bali,” “Indonesia,” “beaches,” and “island hopping.”

Both help users navigate your site, but when it comes to SEO, things get interesting.

Are WordPress Tags Important for SEO?

The short answer? Yes and no.

Tags can improve user experience by helping visitors find related content. This keeps people engaged, increases page views, and reduces bounce rates… all good for SEO. However, tags don’t directly improve your Google rankings unless used strategically.

If you go overboard, creating hundreds of tags with only one or two posts assigned to each, you risk creating thin-content tag archive pages that offer little value. Instead of improving your SEO, this could make it worse.

Should WordPress Tags Be Indexed?

This is a controversial topic. Indexing tag pages can improve your position for long-tail keywords, according to several SEO professionals… Others say it leads to duplicate content issues.

What is the best practice?

• If your tag pages provide unique and useful content, indexing them can be beneficial.
• If they’re thin and add no extra value, it’s better to noindex them using an SEO plugin like Yoast or Rank Math.
• Never let tags become an afterthought; use them meaningfully.

How Many Categories Can a WordPress Post Have?

Technically, you can assign a post to multiple categories, but it’s best to stick to one primary category and one or two secondary ones. Posts that are overly categorized may have duplicate content problems, which is bad for SEO.

Is It Possible to Give a WordPress Post More Than One Tag?

Of course!! Unlike categories, there’s no real downside to using multiple tags, as long as they are relevant and used consistently. A post about “SEO-friendly blogging” might have tags like:

• SEO
• Blogging Tips
• WordPress SEO
• Website Optimization

Using too many random tags, however, can create unnecessary archive pages that add no real value.

What Happens If You Delete a Category or Tag?

If you delete a category, WordPress automatically assigns affected posts to the default “Uncategorized” category. Not ideal.

If you delete a tag, the posts remain published but will no longer be grouped under that tag. If a tag archive page was ranking in search results, deleting it could cause a 404 error, which is bad for SEO. To avoid this, consider setting up 301 redirects for deleted categories or tags.

How to Add Tags to Pages in WordPress?

WordPress does not support tags for pages by default. However, you can enable them by adding a plugin like Tag Pages or by modifying your theme’s functions.php file.

If your website has a lot of static pages that could benefit from tagging (e.g., portfolios, service pages), enabling tags might be a smart move for better site organization and SEO.

WordPress Search Tags: Do They Matter?

Yes! WordPress has an internal search feature that allows visitors to find content based on tags. Optimized tags enhance user experience by making it simpler for visitors to locate what they’re looking for on your website.

Additionally, well-structured tags can help search engines better understand your content relationships, indirectly benefiting SEO.

5 Best Ways to Use Tags In a Productive Way

Let’s examine a few tag usage best practices:

Be Consistent

Don’t create new tags for every post. Reuse existing ones where possible to keep your tag structure clean. For example, if you frequently write about SEO, instead of creating “SEO Tips,” “SEO Advice,” and “SEO Strategies” as separate tags, just use “SEO.”

Use Relevant Tags Only

Stick to 5-10 highly relevant tags per post. If you write a blog about WordPress SEO, using tags like “SEO,” “WordPress Optimization,” and “Blog SEO” makes sense. However, adding irrelevant tags like “Google Ads” or “PPC Marketing” would not help and might even confuse search engines.

Don’t Index Thin Tag Pages

If a tag page contains just one or two posts, it doesn’t provide much value. In such cases, use a plugin like Yoast SEO to mark them as ‘noindex’ to prevent them from appearing in search results. 

For example, if you have a tag “Digital Marketing” that only lists one article, it’s better to noindex it rather than let it dilute your site’s SEO authority.

Avoid Duplicate Tags and Categories

If you already have a category called “SEO,” don’t create a tag with the same name. This redundancy doesn’t help search engines and can cause confusion for users. 

Instead, make tags more specific, such as “SEO Basics” or “Technical SEO.”

Monitor Performance

Check Google Analytics and Google Search Console frequently to check whether tag pages are having problems or ranking. If you notice a tag page is attracting traffic, you can optimize it by adding relevant content and internal links. 

On the other hand, if a tag page has no traffic, consider noindexing it or merging it with a more useful tag.

Final Verdict

Tags are not a direct SEO ranking factor, but they can enhance site structure, improve user experience, and indirectly help your rankings if used correctly. If misused, they can lead to duplicate content, thin pages, and even lower rankings.

If you want to level up your WordPress SEO strategy, get expert help from Growth Professionals to optimize your site the right way.

People Also Ask

Does WordPress tagging increase SEO rankings?

Although not directly, it helps in site navigation, which can enhance user experience and lower bounce rates, two indicators that are favorable to search engine optimization.

Should I use tags on WordPress?

Yes, but don’t overdo it. Use only relevant tags and avoid creating unnecessary archive pages.

Can I assign multiple categories and tags to a post?

Yes, but limit categories to 1-2 per post. Tags can be more flexible but should remain relevant.

Should I noindex my tag pages?

If your tag pages offer little value, yes. You may noindex them by using a plugin such as Yoast SEO.

What happens if I remove a category or tag?

The posts remain, but the tag/category pages will no longer exist. Consider using 301 redirects for deleted categories/tags.