Joost de Valk, the creator of the Yoast SEO plugin, has introduced a new free plugin aimed at addressing a site architecture issue that can negatively impact a website's ranking.
Site Architecture
A well-organized site architecture is crucial for SEO as it helps users find content and products easily and assists Google in identifying important pages for ranking. Websites are typically organized by topic categories, which is common sense rather than a specific SEO strategy.
Tags: Contextual Site Navigation
Tags offer contextual navigation by linking to relevant content that visitors might find interesting. For example, a tag can link to all articles about a specific pop singer, making it easier for users to find related content without creating an extensive category for each artist.
Problems with Tags
Joost de Valk's research on WordPress sites revealed several issues with tag usage:
- Too Many Tags: Publishers often add tags expecting to use them more, but many tags end up linking to only a few articles.
- Missing Tag Functionality: Upgrading themes can result in orphaned tag pages that are not accessible to visitors but still indexed by search engines.
- Thin Content: Many tag pages lack meaningful content and only contain links and article excerpts, reducing their value.
Fewer Tags Plugin
Joost de Valk's new plugin, the Fewer Tags WordPress Plugin, addresses these issues by automatically removing tags that link to fewer than ten posts (adjustable to five). The Pro version offers additional features like merging tag pages, creating redirects, and sending 404 responses.
Benefits of the Pro Version:
- Merge & delete unnecessary tag pages easily.
- Create redirects for removed tag pages.
- Includes an online course by Joost de Valk.
- Long-term solution for tag issues.
- Option to uninstall the plugin after resolving issues.
Where to Download
- Free Version: Fewer Tags Free By Joost de Valk
- Pro Version Information: Read more about the Pro version here.
