This is a completely free eBook about tagging your WordPress blog posts, click the image below to download instantly to your computer.
Click here to download What Every WordPress Blogger Ought To Know About Tags and you’ll soon understand:
- Why you should be using tags
- How tags are different than categories
- What information you should be tagging
- How tags will improve your blog
My goal is that by the time you finish reading this report, even if you’ve got an extreme case of technophobia and never heard of tags before this moment; you’ll have enough information to turbo-charge your blog using tags.
Below are the four companion screen capture videos that I’ve created to demostrate tagging in action and the basic steps you need to take to implement them in WordPress.
Video One: How to Add Tags to Your Posts
Shows you where to enter the tags when you write your posts, and how to use WordPress’ built in tag suggestion engine.
Video Two: How to Get Tags to Show Up on Your Theme
Demonstrates how to crack open your WordPress theme and insert the simple code needed for tags to show up on your posts.
This is the code snippet mentioned in the video that you need to add to your Single Post (single.php) file and/or your Main Index Template (index.php) file:
Tags <?php the_tags(' ', ' ', ' '); ?>
directly after this line:
<?php the_content('<p>Read the rest of this entry »</p>'); ?>
Video Three: How to Add Tags to Your Site Using Sidebar Widgets
A quick and easy way to add a tag cloud to your sidebar, built right into WordPress.
Video Four: How to Add Tags to your Sitemaps
This video demonstrates how to add your tag pages to your XML Sitemap, so Google will index your tag pages. (Uses the XML Sitemaps Plugin - Automatically creates an XML sitemap which includes your tag pages, and submits it to Google.)
If you’ve enjoyed this report, you may also like the Blog Profits Blueprint where Yaro, from Entrepreneur’s Journey’s shows you how to earning a full time living from blogging.
Comments are open below.
June 20th, 2008 at 5:04 am
Beautiful, clear explanation of tagging.
The filing cabinet analogy is perfect.
I’ll be spreading the word about your report.
June 20th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Hi,Jon,
Seems like about 10 years ago, you helped me get this blog going. Actually, it was last Oct.
Some things are easier now, and some of the basics are still confusing. I’m so glad to see you doing this feature on tagging because I know I don’t use it to its full potential.
I haven’t read your report yet, so my question may be answered there, but the videos were great.
The question : if you create tags when you write a post, but don’t publish them under the articles, WP still creates a tag page, right? It’s not relevant to XML Sitemaps whether tags are published, is it? You would still do as you described in the XML config page?
June 20th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
“if you create tags when you write a post, but don’t publish them under the articles, WP still creates a tag page, right?”
Yes, it will still create the page (in theory) but if you don’t put them under your posts, or add a widget then there really isn’t any reason for them to exist, as it is unlikely anyone will ever find them.
June 23rd, 2008 at 7:16 am
I take your point, Jon. But even if they’re not displayed under posts, they still give an advantage from an SEO perspective. And if there’s a tag cloud, that helps people find your archived content, I guess. Still, I’ll change my theme to display tags under articles. I think it’s a good idea. Good topic.
June 24th, 2008 at 7:26 am
Great article! I will pass it along to my social networking group. Just crious - is this the same as meta tags? If not, can you point me in the direction fo a clear explanation (just like this) of where to handle meta tags in wordpress?
You are awesome.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
@kendyl, thanks for your kind words. The tags I wrote about are not the same as meta tags. Since you were lucky enough to have your site setup by a Ninja, you already have the excellent Meta Tags Plugin installed. It will automatically do the basic meta tags for you, but if you follow the link, you can see how to use it fully.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:16 am
Ninja Jon,
Good work! I now have tags and xml sitemap setup after following your video steps.
I will leave meta tags plugin for another time.
Arigtou!
mark mcclure
July 8th, 2008 at 4:17 am
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July 25th, 2008 at 6:46 am
This is awesome - very clear and concise
many thanks!
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Ninja Jon,
I am so glad I decided to use your excellent service. Your instructional videos are superb. I can feel myself turning into a Geek!!