Tags & Taxonomy

What is taxonomy?

Tags (which Drupal calls taxonomy) are the labels you apply to pages and documents. Think of your website like a grocery store: your main menu categories are the aisle signs (like "Produce" or "Bakery") that show visitors where to go. Tags are like the detailed product labels (like "Gluten-Free" or "Locally Grown"). They help group similar items together across different aisles so visitors can easily search, filter, and discover related content without extra work on your part.

What do tags do?

On your Maryland Drupal website, tags are used to build the Automatic List component and Listing Page. Tags are optional. Tags can be used to:

• Show content automatically: Display matching items on other pages without extra copying and pasting. For example, tagging a new article as “Press Release” can make it show up automatically on your homepage news feed.
• Help visitors filter search results: Let visitors narrow down long lists to find what they need. For example, a constituent looking for local services can filter a statewide facility list by county or region.
• Build custom curated pages: Group related items onto a single dedicated page. For example, tagging documents as “Meeting Minutes” creates a focused page displaying only meeting notes without manually linking each PDF.

What tags are available?

The table below lists the lists of tags available in Drupal. The specific tag labels depend on your website's setup—some agencies use many tags, while others use only a few. Some tags are limited in how many can be added to to each page in your site.

Shared tags

• Topic, County, Division / section and Agency taxonomy are shared across content. For example, a “For Citizens” Topic can be added to both an Event and Location.
• All other tags are only allowed on a specific type of page. For example, Contact type can only be used on the Contact Page.

What content can I tag?

The table below shows which tags can be added to the different pages, documents and images.

Where do tags show?

Most tags are only used to set up pages and components and are not shown to visitors. The exceptions are listed below.

Automatic List

Document type and Event type automatically show as an “eyebrow”, or a small label directly above the link. Learn more how to use the Automatic List.

Listing Page

All tags show in drop-down menu filters when filters are added to the Listing Page. Contact type, Location type, News type, Event type, and Document all show as an “eyebrow” label above the link in the list of content. If a page is tagged with more than one label, they all show as an “eyebrow” label. Learn more how to use a Listing Page.

News Page

News type shows underneath the page title. Learn more how to use the News Page.

Event Page

Event type shows underneath the page title. Only the first Event type tag shows on the page automatically. Learn more how to use the Event Page.

Guidance

• Tag for what content is about, not where it lives: Choose terms based on subject matter rather than your department's internal org chart.
• Think like your agency’s constituents, not like an agency: Tag with terms that your site’s audience use, avoiding internal state acronyms or jargon where possible.
• Be selective: Apply only the 1 to 3 most relevant terms. Over-tagging dilutes search accuracy and creates noisy feeds.
• Avoid redundant tags: Create tags that are distinct and do not overlap in meaning.

For more information:

For further reading on taxonomy principles, content strategy, and best practices:

• Digital.gov – An Introduction to Structured Content
• GOV.UK Topic Taxonomy Principles
• Nielsen Norman Group – Taxonomy 101: Definition, Best Practices, and How It Complements UX