This page is related to submitting listings.
Categories and tags can get really messy if not used properly and what I don’t want is a messy website for people to have to wade through.
On this page, I’m going to break categories and tags down for you so you know what I am looking for and will accept on FresnoFamily.com…
Categories
Categories are not something you create yourself.
Instead, you will choose from pre-existing categories the ones that best suit your business.
I have very specific businesses in mind for my site, as it has a very specific focus. (Families) Because of this, I am not open to adding just anything and everything.
**HOWEVER, it is possible that if you have a business that is family-related and not yet covered in categories, I may consider adding a new category to FresnoFamily.com. So if you don’t see a category that fits your business properly, please email me via the email on the contact page and ask me about it. I will let you know whether it belongs on my site or not, and if it’s a category I’m willing to add. Or not.**
I also will not accept businesses choosing categories that clearly do not fit them. If you choose a category that isn’t suited for your business, I will change it. Please save us both the time and energy, and do not do this. It will not get you more views.
MY TOP PRIORITY IS MY VISITORS’ EXPERIENCE: (which will keep them coming back again and again, which benefits you as well)
I want visitors to be able to find what they want, where they expect to find it, and adding businesses to random categories hinders this and makes my site look messy and confusing.
If you are unsure what a category is for, read it’s description.
Visit the homepage and choose a category from the master list of ALL categories near the bottom of the page:
Every category has a short description. You can also take a look at the businesses already within the category to understand better.
Make sure your business fits that description before you choose it to add to your listing.
One last note about categories:
If you choose a SUBcategory…for example, in the image below, “Play Places”. Please ALSO CHOOSE THE MAIN CATEGORY. In this case, you would also choose “Family Outings” as one of your categories.
You will also want to select the category that BEST represents your business as your MAIN category, as that will be the icon the system uses for your business on the map. You do this by clicking the “make default” link next to the category you choose:
You may choose as many categories as are appropriate, but please DO NOT choose anything irrelevant to your business. I will correct anything I see as inappropriate so there’s no point in trying to sneak your business into more categories. As mentioned above, this just makes the directory chaotic and messy looking, which won’t make visitors want to come back.
Tags
Tags get a bit more complicated. You are able to add your own tags, but I want you to be VERY THOUGHTFUL in this. I will also periodically be cleaning these up and deleting anything I see as unnecessary.
There is a tag cloud directly below where the master list of business categories is on the homepage:
PLEASE NOTE: The tag cloud DOES NOT SHOW ANY TAGS THAT ONLY HAVE 1 ITEM IN IT!!
This is one of the reasons that it’s important to not just pick any old tag to throw on your listing.
Like hashtags on social media, tags are to help sort business listings in the FresnoFamily.com business directory and especially TO HELP PEOPLE FIND OTHER LISTINGS WITH THE SAME TAG. So there’s no point in having a tag that you are the only one using!
Please check the list of tags on the homepage to choose your tags.
You may create a new tag and perhaps other businesses will use it, but REALLY THINK about your tag and whether or not it could be used by others before creating a new one.
As I approve listings I am deleting unnecessary tags. And I will also periodically go through all the tags and delete or edit anything I feel needs it.
REMEMBER MY MAIN GOAL: To keep FresnoFamily.com as user-friendly as possible. And tags can be very useful if managed properly, and a complete mess of confusion if not.
Categories vs Tags
Please do not create a tag that already exists as a category.
For example, “soccer” or “doula”. Those are already sub-categories, and anything that falls under those should be put in those categories. They don’t need a tag with those as well. That would be redundant and messy.
Here’s a great way to figure out the difference between categories and tags. I found this on this great article if you want to read more.
In this quote, they are relating categories and tags to a cookbook:
Your categories are like your main chapters, and your tags are like your variations within that chapter. Categories would be like Appetizers, Main Courses, Desserts, Side Dishes, etc. Then your tags would fall within those categories. In the Side Dishes chapter, you’ll find sections for fruits, salads, potatoes, etc… those would be the tags.
https://guppyfishweb.com/blogging/categories-vs-tags/
Here’s another great analogy from that same page:
I like to think of them like an online catalog. If you go shopping online at Old Navy, for example, the top of the site will have Men, Women, Boys, Girls, Babies and so on, which would be your categories. Within those departments you’ll have shirts, dresses, bathing suits, etc. that would serve as tags.
https://guppyfishweb.com/blogging/categories-vs-tags/
I would also recommend just thinking about what would be useful to people. Would someone actually find a tag for “kids” helpful? Probably not because it’s vague and EVERYTHING on the site is for kids! But “kids night out” is a very specific thing… as is “toddlers”, which lets a person know that an activity/business is for a specific age range. Those would actually be helpful to a visitor and help them find what they are looking for.
So basically, categories are BROAD, tags are SPECIFIC, and must be able to be useful by other businesses as well.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time via the email on my contact page.