How to create a taxonomy system that improves content discovery

Why a good taxonomy system matters

If your website is a bustling library, your taxonomy system is the well-organised shelving and signage that helps readers find exactly what they need—without wandering aimlessly for hours.

A well-structured taxonomy enhances:

• User Experience (UX): Makes it easier for visitors to navigate and find relevant content.
• SEO: Helps Google understand your site structure and index content more effectively.
• Content Strategy: Encourages deeper engagement by surfacing related articles, keeping readers on-site longer.

But a bad taxonomy? That’s like a filing cabinet full of unsorted papers—confusing, frustrating, and ultimately, a wasted opportunity.

Let’s dive into how to build a taxonomy system that actually works.

Step 1: Understanding taxonomy basics

Categories vs. tags

A common mistake is treating categories and tags as interchangeable. They’re not.

• Categories: Broad, hierarchical groupings for content. Think of them as the “departments” of your website.
• Tags: Specific, non-hierarchical labels that describe details of a post. They work like index keywords.

For example, on a news website:

• Category: Politics
• Tags: UK Election, Prime Minister, Brexit

Step 2: Planning your categories

2.1 Keep it broad but meaningful

Your categories should cover high-level topics without being overly specific. Think of them as content silos.

✅ Good Category Examples:

• Business
• Technology
• Entertainment
• Sports

❌ Bad Category Examples:

• AI in Finance (too niche—better as a tag)
• Breaking News (not useful—every article is “news”)

2.2 Limit the number of categories

A good rule of thumb: Aim for 5-10 core categories. Too many and you risk fragmentation; too few and they lose meaning.

If you find yourself adding a new category for every other article, rethink your structure—tags may be the better solution.

2.3 Maintain a hierarchy

Where necessary, use parent-child relationships to organise subcategories. Example:

• Parent: Business
  • Child: Finance
  • Child: Startups

This helps SEO by signalling clear content relationships.

Step 3: Designing a smart tagging system

3.1 Use tags for specificity

Tags should provide extra context without being redundant. Each tag should answer:

• What is this article about?
• Who or what does it involve?

✅ Good Tag Examples:

• “Elon Musk”
• “Electric Vehicles”
• “Cryptocurrency”

❌ Bad Tag Examples:

• “News” (useless—everything is news)
• “Tech” (if you already have a Technology category, this is redundant)

3.2 Keep tags consistent

Tag sprawl is a real problem. If one article is tagged “EVs” and another “Electric Cars,” they won’t be grouped together. Stick to standardised terms.

Solution: Create a pre-approved list of tags and educate your editorial team on using them correctly.

Step 4: Implementing the taxonomy on your site

4.1 Use breadcrumbs

Breadcrumb navigation helps both users and search engines understand site structure. A typical breadcrumb might look like:

Home > Business > Finance > How Interest Rates Affect Startups

This not only improves navigation but also strengthens internal linking.

4.2 Display related content intelligently

Once your taxonomy is in place, use it to power related content modules. For example:

• Show related articles based on shared categories and tags.
• Suggest further reading based on user behaviour.

Pro tip: Avoid showing articles that share only the same category but have no topical relevance.

Step 5: Maintaining and evolving your taxonomy

Taxonomies aren’t “set and forget.” As your content library grows, so should your taxonomy.

5.1 Audit regularly

• Are categories too broad or too niche?
• Are some tags redundant or underused?
• Is navigation still intuitive?

5.2 Merge and prune

• If you have overlapping categories, consider merging them.
• Remove tags that are barely used (or overused in a meaningless way).

Final thoughts

A strong taxonomy system improves content discovery, UX, and SEO. By structuring categories effectively and using tags wisely, you make it easier for both readers and search engines to navigate your site.

Take the time to plan, implement, and maintain your taxonomy—and watch your content work harder for you.