What Are Custom Taxonomies in WordPress?
Here at TaxoPress, we’re not just about Categories and Tags. We’re about helping you make the most of all WordPress taxonomies, including custom taxonomies.
If you’re scratching your head wondering what a custom taxonomy is, don’t worry! By the end of this guide, you’ll clearly understand what they are, why they’re helpful, and how you can leverage them using TaxoPress.
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What is a Custom Taxonomy?
In WordPress, a taxonomy is a way to group things. You are probably already familiar with the default taxonomies: Categories and Tags. But sometimes, more is needed. That’s where custom taxonomies come in.
A custom taxonomy is a customizable way to organize and group your content based on specific criteria you define. You can think of them as custom labels or groups you can create to classify your content better.
For example, if you run a book review site, you might want a taxonomy for “Authors” or “Genres”. A custom taxonomy “Books” would allow you to group and display books by specific authors or genres, providing a richer browsing experience for your visitors.
Why Are Custom Taxonomies Useful?
Flexibility in Content Organization: While Categories and Tags are great, they might only cover some of the ways you want to classify your content. Custom taxonomies allow you to create classifications tailored to your website’s needs.
Enhanced User Experience: By providing more specific groupings, you can make it easier for visitors to find the content they’re interested in. For instance, a custom taxonomy for “Destinations” on a travel blog can help readers quickly find all posts related to a specific location.
Improved SEO: Like Categories and Tags, custom taxonomies can have their archive pages, potentially boosting your site’s SEO by creating more indexable content.
Greater Control Over Content Display: With custom taxonomies, you can create specific templates to display content uniquely based on the taxonomy term.
How to Create a Custom Taxonomy with TaxoPress
Creating a custom taxonomy might sound technical, but with TaxoPress, it’s a breeze!
Navigate to TaxoPress > Taxonomy in your WordPress dashboard.
This will bring you to the “Taxonomies” area, as shown in the next screenshot. Click on “Add New”.
You will see the “Add new Taxonomy” area.
Fill in the necessary details like the “Taxonomy Slug”, “Plural Label”, “Singular Label”, and more.
Click the “Post Types” menu and choose which post types this taxonomy should be associated with.
Save your changes. Your custom taxonomy is ready to be used.
Displaying Custom Taxonomies on Your Site
Just like Categories and Tags, you can display custom taxonomies in various ways:
In the Post Editor: When editing or creating a post, you’ll see a box for your custom taxonomy, allowing you to assign terms just like you would with Categories or Tags.
On the Front End: Depending on your theme, you can display custom taxonomies on individual posts, archive pages, or widgets.
Using TaxoPress: Our plugin offers the following advanced display options, allowing you to showcase your custom taxonomies uniquely and engagingly:
- Show the Terms Display with a Shortcode
- Show the Terms Display in a Widget
- Change the Format of Terms Display
- Add CSS to Your Terms Display
- Show Terms Display Using PHP.
Conclusion
Custom taxonomies are a powerful tool in your WordPress arsenal, offering enhanced flexibility and organization for your content. Whether you’re running a niche blog or a large e-commerce site, they can provide significant user experience and SEO benefits. And with TaxoPress, managing and displaying these taxonomies is easier than ever.