Stop Tagging Your Blogs Like Social Media Posts

Written by Andrew Crossan on Friday, September 5, 2025.

Tags are one of the most misunderstood parts of blogging. On social media, they’re used to join conversations and reach more people. On blogs, they’re supposed to help readers move around your site. But here’s the key: you don’t actually have to use tags at all.

If your categories are well thought out and your posts naturally link to one another, your blog can stand on its own without tags. In fact, many smaller blogs are better off with very few—or none at all.

Social Media Tags: Built for Reach

On Instagram, Twitter (X), and TikTok, hashtags are a discovery tool. They make your post show up for people who don’t already follow you. For example, tagging #Travel or #StartupLife puts your content into a bigger conversation and can introduce you to new audiences.

In that environment, volume can help. Adding more hashtags (as long as they’re relevant) can mean more visibility, more likes, and more engagement. Social media tags are outward-facing: they connect you to people outside your circle.

Blog Tags: Meant for Navigation

On a blog, tags work very differently. They’re not designed to bring in new readers from the outside. They’re meant to help people already on your site find more of what interests them.

Think of it like this:

• Categories are like chapters in a book. They give the big picture of what your blog covers.
• Tags are like the index in the back of the book. They point out specific ideas or terms that show up in multiple places.

That’s helpful—but only if tags actually connect several posts. If you tag every post with unique terms, or add long lists of overlapping tags, you’re not building a useful index. You’re just creating clutter. And here’s the most important part: tags are optional. If they don’t add value, you don’t need them at all.

How Big Publishers Handle Tags

Even the biggest publishers with massive archives keep their tag use focused and intentional:

• Medium – Every story can have up to five topics, and that’s it. These aren’t SEO tricks; they’re simply used to suggest related reading.
• Vox – Every article belongs to a section (like Technology or Politics). Then, at the end of the post, they show just a few related topics. No giant tag clouds—just a handful of useful links.
• The New York Times – Uses a carefully maintained system of tags called “TimesTags.” Editors decide them, which means they’re consistent and meaningful, not random.

If these sites—running millions of articles—manage tags so carefully, smaller blogs should be even more conservative.

Why Fewer (or No) Tags Are Best

It’s tempting to think that more tags mean better organization or better SEO. But in practice, fewer tags nearly always works better. Here’s why:

• Less clutter – Long lists of tags at the bottom of a post distract from the content.
• More value – A tag is only useful if it links to multiple posts. A single-post tag adds nothing for readers.
• Stronger navigation – A small number of consistent tags makes it easy for people to follow topics. A long messy list just overwhelms them.
• Better for SEO – Too many thin tag pages can confuse search engines and even hurt your site’s visibility.

The takeaway: one or two thoughtful tags can help. Ten or fifteen tags almost always hurt. And no tags at all is completely fine.

Simple Tagging Guidelines

If you choose to use tags on your blog, keep it simple:

1. Don’t feel obligated. A post with no tags is perfectly okay.
2. Stick to 1–2 per post. Only add them if they tie into existing, active topics.
3. Avoid one-offs. Never create a tag just for one article.
4. Stay consistent. Don’t split terms into duplicates like “iPhone13” vs. “iPhone 13.”
5. Review regularly. Merge near-duplicates, prune unused tags, and keep things tidy.

The Bottom Line

On social media, tags are about being seen. On blogs, they’re about helping readers explore. And sometimes, the best choice is to skip them altogether.

If your categories are strong and your posts link naturally to each other, tags may not add much value. When you do use them, be disciplined: one or two well-chosen tags are plenty. Anything more risks clutter, confusion, and weaker SEO.

Remember: tags are optional. Less is more. And none is often best.