Why you should stop using tags

The Impact of Tags on WordPress Sites

Tags have gained immense popularity, especially on platforms like Instagram, where they are used to categorize and help users discover content. However, implementing tags in the same way on your WordPress site can have a detrimental effect on your site’s rankings. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the world of tags, explaining their functionality and revealing how an excessive use of tags can harm your site’s SEO performance.

Understanding the Mechanism of Tags in WordPress

When you add a tag to your WordPress post, you are essentially categorizing that post to make it easier for readers to find amidst a vast collection of articles. Tags in WordPress function similarly to categories, with each tag creating a new page, known as a tag page, that aggregates all articles associated with that particular tag. However, this seemingly innocent practice can lead to a proliferation of thin content pages.

The Consequences of Excessive Tag Usage

Each tag you add to your WordPress site contributes to an additional page that Google must crawl through during indexing. This not only complicates the crawling process but also results in a multitude of thin content pages—content that Google strongly disapproves of. If your site ends up with more tags than actual posts, you’ll find yourself with an abundance of “bad and thin content pages,” ultimately causing your site’s rankings to plummet.

Best Practices for Using Tags on Your Website

To optimize the use of tags on your website, envision them as closets and your posts as clothing items. Just as it wouldn’t make sense to have more closets than clothes in your room, adding excessive tags with fewer posts creates empty, space-consuming pages. To maintain a healthy balance, aim to limit your tags to around one-third of your total number of posts. This approach ensures that your tags remain effective without compromising your site’s quality and ranking.

Distinguishing Between Instagram and Website Tag Usage

While it’s understandable to use a higher volume of tags on Instagram to enhance post discoverability among a global audience, this strategy doesn’t translate well to your website. Unlike Instagram tags, website tags are exclusive to your site and do not benefit from the same global reach. Implementing tags on your website as you would on Instagram can actually hinder your content’s visibility on Google.

Alternative Solutions for Internal Search Enhancement

Some website owners resort to using tags to improve internal search functionality. However, this approach isn’t the most effective solution, especially considering the limitations of WordPress’s native internal search engine. Instead, it is recommended to invest in an advanced internal site search solution, such as Algolia in Yoast SEO Premium, which offers superior search functionality without generating an abundance of thin content that Google disapproves of.

Remedying an Excessive Tag Situation

If you’ve already added an excessive number of tags to your website, it’s crucial to take action to rectify the situation. The optimal approach involves deleting and redirecting these surplus tag pages to more relevant and useful content. For instances where only one blog post is associated with a particular tag, consider redirecting it directly to that post. Although this process can be labor-intensive for larger sites, it is imperative for maintaining or restoring your site’s ranking. Yoast is currently developing a solution to streamline the cleanup of tag pages, which can significantly improve your site’s structure and optimization.

Leveraging Yoast’s Tag Cleanup Tools

To assist in the task of cleaning up your tag pages, Yoast offers a range of tools and resources. These tools are designed to simplify the process and help you achieve a more streamlined and efficient site structure. Explore Yoast’s existing suite of tools to gain a better understanding of how they can enhance your site’s SEO performance.

In summary, while tags serve a valuable purpose in content categorization, their indiscriminate use on a WordPress site can lead to issues such as thin content and hindered SEO rankings. To make the most of tags, it’s essential to strike a balance, be mindful of their impact on search engine optimization, and consider alternative solutions for improving internal search functionality. If you’ve already overused tags, taking steps to clean up your site and optimize its structure is crucial for maintaining or improving your site’s ranking. Yoast provides valuable tools and resources to aid in this process.