Proper Use of Categories & Tags

Introduction to WordPress Categories & Tags. The difference between categories & tags, how to create them in WordPress, how to plan your site taxonomy; how to apply categories & tags to your content; how to assign them to MENUs. Part of my Beginners Series on WordPress.

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1. ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
2. Announcements  Upcoming WordPress Meetups  SoCal: Wednesday, @ 7:00 pm  Topanga  Pasadena  Orange County  WP 101 (our next meeting): 1st Tuesday, April 1 (no “Foolin’”) ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
3. Tonight’s Agenda:  Definitions & Resources  Creating Categories & Tags (DEMO)  Applying Categories & Tags (DEMO)  Using Categories in Menus (DEMO) ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com Reminder: all slides will be posted, so just make a note of any questions you might have during the DEMO…
4. Definitions & Resources  Categories  Codex: http://codex.wordpress.org/Posts_Categories_SubPanel ◦ Used to “…aid in navigation and allow posts to be grouped with others of similar content.”  Tags  Codex: http://codex.wordpress.org/Posts_Tags_SubPanel ◦ Used to “…aid in navigation and allow posts to be grouped with others of similar content.” ◦ “Unlike Categories, Tags have no hierarchy so there is no Parent->Child relationship like that of Categories. But like Categories, Tag names must be unique.” ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
5. In Practice…  Categories  Main Topics of your site  Tags  A finer focus  Like topics in an outline  Remember: The key is whatever makes organizational and logical sense to your site visitor…  designed to make it easy for your site visitor to find the information they are looking for… ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
6. Examples…  Photographer Web Site  Possible Categories ◦ Outside – Landscape photos ◦ Special Events ◦ Portraits  Likely Tags ◦ Available Packages ◦ Landscape “tags”:  Sunset/sunrise @ beach  Mountains  Cityscapes  Rural countryside  Ghost towns ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
7. DEMO: Creating Categories & Tags  Start with Categories  Dashboard  Posts Menu  Categories (2014 theme)  PAGE TOUR ◦ New Category ◦ Slug ◦ Parent (optional: you can have sub- categories) ◦ Description (optional)  Don’t Forget to SAVE!  Tags work just the same way ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
8. Categories Page ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
9. Tags Page ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
10. Applying Categories & Tags  Remember: both only apply to POSTS!  Applied from the POST Editor  What YOU see is theme-dependent  DEMO on Test Site using 2014 Theme  Same view on my FTR web site  All done on right side of editor screen  Categories/Tags Drop-Down (separate)  Existing Categories/Tags Shown  You can create both on-the-fly…  But it’s best to create a plan first ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
11. Applying Category/Tag ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
12. Uses in MENUs: The Real Power of WordPress!  Menu DEMO  Note: brief INTRO to Menus  Appearance  Menus ◦ CAVEAT: Menus are highly-controlled by your active theme!  Using 2014 Test site  Using my established FTR site ◦ Notice the differences, all based on themes! ◦ Menus can change if you change your theme  Want more? Let me know! ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
13. Menu DEMO (continued)  Adding a CATEGORY to MENU:  Select the MENU to modify  Select the Category (checkbox)  Click the “add to MENU” button  Adding TAGS work the same way!  Always do a visual check!  Custom CSS…anyone?  Remember “Inspect Element” from our earlier meeting??? ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
14. Adding to MENUs ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com
15. ©2014 Karen McCamy  FreelanceTechnologyReview.com Email me: kmccamy@freelancetechnologyreview.com