Tips for Using Labels on Your Blog

Have you ever noticed that on my right side bar I have a section called Labels?

Let me tell you what these labels are.  Every time I write a post I give it a label or a tag so that it can be categorized with other like posts.  So for instance, if you wanted to look at only my Paper Crafts you could click on that phrase and all of my Paper Crafts would be listed on my blog so you wouldn't have to go through my 300+ posts to find them.

It really is a great little tool - if you know how to use it correctly.

Here are a couple quick tips that I keep in mind when I am using labels.

Keep your labels short - I try to stay under 2 words.  It should just be the topic matter not a complete description.

Too many labels - I see this a lot as I am browsing other blogs, and honestly it can be overwhelming to search through. Keep your labels a little generic or broad so it can cover many different specific topics.

2-3 labels per post - I like to make sure that each of my posts has at least 2 labels associated with it so it can be found under a couple different topics.  But be careful.  Too many labels per post and Google will look at your site with duplicate info and that can hurt your SEO.

Relevant labels - Don't give one of your posts the label of video just because you have noticed that your video posts get more traffic.  This is considered spam. There are enough spammers out there - don't do it to yourself.  Plus it will confuse your readers if they click on a link and it doesn't bring them to what they are expecting.

Remember, your labels are intended to make navigation of your site easier for the reader, so keep it simple.

How does labeling work for your blog?

Got something to add?  Leave it in the comments!