Overtagging

Overtagging is the practice of applying a large number of tags to a piece of content in order to improve its visibility and categorization. The tags are overt, meaning they are public and visible to users and to search or recommendation algorithms.

Tagging is often user-driven; tags can be keywords or phrases, and may be single or multiword. Some platforms allow tag taxonomies or controlled vocabularies to organize terms more consistently.

Potential benefits include improved discoverability, easier filtering, and community-driven organization; it can help group content around topics and trends. Overtagging can also aid new users in navigating a platform by surfacing related content through topic tags.

Risks include tag sprawl, irrelevance, duplication, and manipulation. Excessive or irrelevant tags can dilute search quality, clutter interfaces, and annoy users, while misleading or duplicative tagging can confuse algorithms and readers.

Best practices include choosing a concise, relevant tag set and using standard terms to support consistency. Avoid duplicating tags, and refrain from using sensitive or misleading terms. Adhere to platform-specific guidelines and update tags as topics evolve to maintain accuracy and usefulness.

Overtagging is distinct from covert tagging, where metadata is embedded but not publicly visible. Some platforms index internal tags for indexing or analytics, even if they are not shown to users.

See also: tagging, metadata, keyword stuffing, taxonomies.