Cleaning up your TAGS &

CATEGORIES

What does good classification look like?

Megamenus are distinctive, relevant and timely

Topic pages are robust and useful

Topic indexes feature clear, well-populated topics

Link aggregators are relevant

Coming soon: Related posts

The Classification Continuum

Specific + Plentiful

Broad + Rare

Entity tag Concept tag Subcategory Category

Entity A noun with a specific, typically

physical manifestation. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Proposition 19 Michael Bloomberg

Washington Metro Area Transit Authority Chinatown

2010 U.N. AIDS Summit

Foundations Ballot initiatives

2010 elections Public transportation

Neighborhoods Meetings

Concept (tag) An abstract noun representing

an idea or issue.

Subcategory A concept that’s too big for its britches.

Illegal immigration Ocean acidification Lifelong learning

Category One of 4 or 5 distinct terms that

can describe all your posts. Technology

Science Politics

Economy

The Classification Follies

Duplicative mega-menus

Unhelpful topic index

too short! too long! that’s the ticket!

Single-use tags

Tags unrelated to your mission

Tag names that lack context

“Meta” tags

Tags that are actually features

How to get there (I) A step-by-step audit

1. Weed out overlapping tags.

2. Make your tag names search-friendly. (Advisory Neighborhood Commissions)

(2010 New York State Elections)

(Immigrations & Customs Enforcement)

(Joslin Diabetes Center)

3. Eliminate weak, thinly-populated tags.

4. Change overweight concepts to subcategories.

5. Improve your mega-menus.

6. Refresh your Don’t Miss topics weekly.

How to get there (II) Questions to ask for every post

Which category does this match?

Tip: Aim for 1 category per post.

Is this tag central to the post?

Tip: Users should expect to see the post on the topic page for the tag.

Does Wordpress auto-complete the tag?

Tip: If not, you’re creating a new tag. Tread carefully.

If it’s a new tag, is it likely to recur?

Tip: If you don’t know, wait. It’s easy to tag old posts.

Do you have more than 6 tags on the post?

Tip: Between 2 and 6 is ideal. Fewer’s fine. More? Use your best judgment.

Questions!