How to Optimise Blog Category and Tag Pages for SEO (Without Thin Content)

Someone lands on a category page expecting a guide. They want the best stories, a quick summary, and an obvious next click. Too often they get a bare list of posts, like a box of papers tipped onto the floor.

Search engines see it the same way. Many category and tag pages end up thin, repetitive, and hard to tell apart. That can pull down the quality of your site, waste crawl time, and split ranking signals across dozens (or hundreds) of near-empty archives.

The fix isn’t complicated. You need two things: a clean structure that makes sense, and pages that behave like helpful hubs, not filing cabinets. You’ll also want to be honest about which tag pages deserve to rank, and which should be noindexed.

Set the rules for categories and tags (so Google and readers don’t get lost)

Think of your site like a well-run library.

Categories are shelves: broad sections that tell people where they are.
Tags are labels: small notes that help people find related items across shelves.

On a news and insights site like CurratedBrief, categories should map to the big beats readers expect (technology, business, finance, health). Tags should be used with restraint for recurring topics and story angles (earnings, inflation, AI policy, cyber security).

Where it goes wrong is overlap. “AI” becomes a category, and “Artificial Intelligence” becomes a tag, and “AI tools” becomes another tag, and now you’ve built three doors to the same room. Google has to choose which to show, and it may choose none.

A simple target structure that works for most publishers:

• Fewer, stronger categories, each with enough content to act like a destination page.
• Limited, meaningful tags, only when they group multiple posts with the same intent.
• No duplicate topics split across categories and tags.
• No tag sprawl, where every new article invents fresh labels and creates near-empty pages.

If you’re on WordPress, it’s easy to drift into chaos because tags are frictionless. That’s why it helps to set a rulebook and stick to it. Yoast’s view of taxonomy as landing pages is a useful mindset, because it pushes you to treat archives as pages people enter from search, not just internal sorting tools (see Taxonomy SEO: How to optimize your categories and tags).

Pick a clean taxonomy, one main category per post, fewer tags per post

Start with decisions you can repeat for every article.

Categories

• Aim for 6 to 12 core categories for most news and insights sites. More than that, and you often end up with shelves that hold two books.
• Use reader language for names. “Personal finance” beats “Household economics”.
• Keep naming consistent. Pick singular or plural, then stick to it (for example, “Markets” vs “Market”).
• Merge categories when two are too close. If “Startups” and “Entrepreneurship” both contain the same type of story, pick one.
• Delete categories that have no future. If you won’t publish into it again, it’s not a shelf, it’s storage.

One main category per post keeps signals clean. It stops a single article from propping up three category pages at once, and it avoids internal competition.

Tags

• A practical limit is 3 to 8 tags per post. Enough to help, not enough to spray labels everywhere.
• A tag is worth having when it can collect a set of posts that answer the same kind of reader need.
• Don’t create a tag for a one-off name unless you truly expect more coverage. A “BrandX scandal” tag that never gets a second post is just a thin page waiting to happen.
• Keep capitalisation consistent (AI vs Ai), and watch for near-duplicates (US vs United States).

For WordPress-specific pitfalls and habits that help, SEOpress has a solid, practical summary of tag and category usage (see 8 Tips for Using WordPress Tags & Categories for SEO).

Decide which tag pages should rank, and which should be noindexed

Not every tag page deserves a place in Google. That’s normal.

Use a quick decision test for each tag page:

• Does it match a real search? People search “AI news” or “inflation explained”, not “misc thoughts”.
• Does it have enough posts to feel complete? If it’s three thin snippets, it won’t satisfy readers.
• Does it have unique intro copy? If the page starts with nothing but post titles, it’s not a landing page.

If a tag fails the test, you have three clean options:

Noindex it: keep it for readers on-site, but don’t ask Google to rank it.
Merge it: combine “AI tools” into “AI” if the intent is the same.
Remove it: if it serves no one, delete and redirect if needed.

This also helps with crawl budget in plain terms: Google has limited time to scan your site. You want that time spent on your strongest content and your best hubs, not page 17 of “press-release” tags.

Keep important category hubs indexable. If you’re a news platform, category pages can become powerful entry points when they’re treated like mini homepages for a topic.

On-page SEO for category and tag pages (turn a list into a helpful hub)

A strong category or tag page should feel like arriving at a good front desk. You get the map, you get the highlights, then you choose a corridor.

Most people want two things:

1. A quick overview so they know they’re in the right place.
2. The best next click (not necessarily the newest post).

That means you’re optimising for search intent, not just sprinkling keywords. If you need a broader checklist for category-page best practice, this guide is a good reference point (see 9 SEO Best Practices for Category Pages To Rank in SERPs).

Write a unique intro that answers intent in the first 50 words

Your intro is the handshake. Make it clear, direct, and useful.

“Unique” here means:

• Not copied from another category page.
• Not recycled from a post excerpt.
• Not fluff like “Welcome to our blog category page”.

A mini template you can steal:

Who it’s for: “This page is for readers tracking [topic]…”
What they’ll find: “You’ll find explainers, breaking updates, and analysis on…”
How it’s organised: “Start with the guides below, then browse the latest.”

Keep the first paragraph short. Add a second paragraph only if it genuinely helps.

A simple “Start here” block often lifts engagement fast, because it removes choice paralysis. Aim for 3 to 5 links, not twenty. These should be your pillar pieces, the ones you’d be happy to show a first-time visitor.

Example (format, not exact wording):

• Start here: “What inflation means”, “How interest rates affect mortgages”, “Weekly market wrap”

Only promise freshness if it’s true. “Updated weekly” is great when you do it. If you don’t, it becomes a quiet lie sitting at the top of your page.

If you want a WordPress-focused walkthrough for improving category archives with content and layout, WPBeginner’s guide is a useful companion (see How to Optimize Your WordPress Category Pages).

Optimise titles, meta descriptions, headings, and snippets without stuffing keywords

Treat these pages like proper landing pages, not leftovers.

Title tag

• Put the keyword near the front.
• Keep it short enough to avoid truncation (often under 60 characters).
• Add your brand at the end if it fits.

Example:
“AI News and Analysis | CurratedBrief”

Meta description

• Write a clear hook, not a list of keywords.
• Make it feel like the promise of the page.
• Keep it within typical snippet length (often under 160 characters).

Example:
“Latest AI headlines plus plain-English explainers on models, policy, and business impact. Start with our best guides, then read the newest updates.”

H1

• Match the topic in human language.
• Don’t over-think it. If the page is “Technology”, the H1 should say that.

H2s and page sections If the page is long or busy, break it up so it reads like a hub:

• Latest
• Most read
• Beginner guides
• Explainers
• Opinion and analysis

Avoid repeating the same title pattern across dozens of tag pages, because it creates a sea of near-identical SERP snippets. Make your high-value hubs distinct. You don’t need to do it for every tag, because many tags shouldn’t be indexed at all.

Make navigation easy: featured posts, filters, breadcrumbs, and strong internal links

A good hub page respects skimming. Most readers arrive hungry but impatient. Help them spot what matters in seconds.

Practical options:

• Featured block at the top: one pillar guide and two supporting pieces.
• Sort controls: latest and popular are usually enough.
• Short excerpts (1 to 2 lines) so post titles aren’t floating with no context.
• Breadcrumbs so people can back out easily (Home > Business > Markets).

Internal links matter here, but only when they’re purposeful.

A few ways to do it cleanly:

• From the hub page, link to pillar guides with descriptive anchor text (for example, “AI regulation explained”).
• From each article, link back to the main category hub near the end (for example, “More Technology news and explainers”).
• Use tag links sparingly inside posts. If your tags are messy, you’re just building more doors into thin rooms.

Don’t overdo it. A hub page stuffed with fifty links feels like a noticeboard. A hub page with a clear “Start here” and a handful of strong routes feels like a guide.

For a longer discussion of how tags and categories can either support or damage your SEO if unmanaged, Oncrawl’s breakdown is worth reading (see Blog Tags and Categories: How to Optimize Them for SEO).

Technical SEO that stops duplicate and thin archive problems

Even well-written category pages can stumble on technical issues. Archive pages are repeatable by design, so it’s easy to create duplicates without meaning to.

Here’s a simple fix list:

• Make sure each category and tag archive has one clean URL.
• Keep pagination crawlable, but stop deeper pages competing with page 1.
• Use noindex where the page adds little value.
• Avoid letting low-value archives (date, author, attachment) flood the index.
• Keep intros and titles distinct so archives don’t look like clones.

Google no longer relies on rel=next/prev as a primary signal. What matters more is sensible linking and canonical setup, plus pages that stand on their own.

Handle pagination and canonicals so page 2 and beyond don’t compete with page 1

Pagination creates URLs like:

• /category/finance/
• /category/finance/page/2/

Page 2 often contains the same template, same title logic, and similar snippets. To Google, that can look like near-duplication at scale.

A common approach:

• Keep pagination links crawlable so Google can discover older posts.
• Set the canonical of paginated pages back to the main hub (page 1), when page 1 is the best representative.
• Consider noindex for deeper pages that rarely add value (for example, page 4 and beyond), while still allowing Google to follow links.

There’s no single rule for every site. If your older content ranks well, you may want those deeper pages indexable. If they’re just long tails of near-identical pages, noindex can reduce noise.

The goal is simple: stop your archives from competing with themselves.

Clean URLs, index settings, and schema options that can boost visibility

Archive URLs should be short and readable:

• Good: /category/technology/
• Bad: /category/technology-news-and-updates-2026/

Pick one slug format and stick to it. Avoid creating multiple URL versions through parameters, odd trailing slash rules, or duplicate taxonomies.

Also look at other archives your CMS might publish:

• Author archives
• Date archives
• Media attachment pages

If they create thin pages, block or noindex them. You want your index filled with pages that act like entry points, not admin leftovers.

Schema can help when it matches real content. If you add FAQs to a high-value category hub, you can mark them up with FAQ schema, but only if:

• The questions are visible on the page.
• The answers are accurate and not stuffed with keywords.
• The FAQs reflect genuine reader needs.

This is one of those places where restraint pays off. A single strong hub with real FAQs beats fifty tag pages pretending to be helpful.

Measure results and keep these pages fresh without busywork

Category and tag SEO isn’t a one-time project. It’s a garden job. You don’t need to water it daily, but you do need a routine.

A light approach:

• Monthly (30 minutes): check Search Console for changes in impressions, clicks, and CTR on your main hubs.
• Quarterly (1 to 2 hours): prune tags, merge duplicates, and refresh “Start here” links on key categories.

Fresh doesn’t mean rewriting intros every week. It means the hub still points to your best work, and it still matches what people search for.

Track the right metrics in Search Console and spot easy wins

Focus on signals that tell you what to fix next:

Rising impressions, low CTR: rewrite the title tag and meta description so it reads like a clear promise.
Rankings stuck: strengthen the intro, add a short FAQ, and improve internal links to pillars.
Traffic but poor engagement: simplify layout, add a featured block, and make the first three clicks obvious.

Also review which tags and categories get search traffic at all. You’ll often find that a small set of hubs bring most value, and the rest are just taking up space. Prune the low performers, and your strong pages tend to improve faster.

Conclusion

Category and tag pages can rank well when they act like guides, not drawers full of unsorted paper. A reader should land, understand the topic fast, and see the best next step without thinking.

Keep it simple with three pillars: clean structure, helpful hub content, and solid technical set-up that avoids duplicate archives.

Next steps: audit your taxonomy, pick your top 5 hubs to improve first, and noindex low-value tag pages that fail the intent test. Once your archives stop being thin, they start pulling their weight, and search traffic has a cleaner path into the rest of your site.