What is the best strategy for tags?

[davion2308]

I'm curious. How do the rest of you decide what tags to use when posting your stories? I know I could optimize my tags and I could sure do better when adding tags to drive traffic and searches to my stories but I don't know where to start.

What do the rest of you suggest I do to go about being better with tags? I'll take any thoughts or ideas, please and thank you.

 

[Bamagan]

The official advice. It's pretty legit.
I'd say the primary tiers to drive searches are:

1. Alternative categories the story might have been placed in
2. Fetishes or kinks that feature prominently (and/or triggers)
3. Gender pairings and sex acts (mfm, fff, blowjob)

That's my own general idea, anyway. It seems to work okay for me, but I've little basis for comparison.

 

[davion2308]

That's my own general idea, anyway. It seems to work okay for me, but I've little basis for comparison.

Thank you. I read the Official advice but I'm soliciting the real-life experiences to see what works for everyone. I'm hoping to get a variety of suggestions.

I appreciate you backing the quoted thread. Thanks.

 

[TheSpleen]

I don't know if this is the best strategy, but from a reader's perspective, I'd suggest that related tags could be helpful. Let's say you wrote a story about shenanigans at a pool. You'd obviously tag it "pool" with tags describing said shenanigans, but you could also add "pool games" and "swimming." I've found older stories using those kinds of related tags and if any other readers are like me, that's a good way of getting views long after the story's dropped off the new list. Good luck.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

Use all ten tags whenever possible. There's no telling what people are searching for. Use variations of the same thing if you have to.

E.G.: if your story involves a lesbian Air Force officer having a sexual relationship with a woman you can use - [lesbian military officer] [lesbian romance] [lesbian] [romance] [military officer] ...

Be creative but don't tag something that doesn't exist in your story. People looking for a particular kink finds your story based on the tag, spends time reading it, doesn't find what they're looking for and gives you 1* and may leave a nasty comment for wasting their time.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Use the category tag lists, to see if the most used tags are applicable to your story.

 

[Altissimus]

1) Use all ten tags. Even if you're struggling and adding in obvious ones towards the end ('oral', 'M/F', 'Hotel Room') you never know what might help someone find your story.
2) Include the category you are posting in (if there aren't ten other tags you deem to be of more import) in direct contravention to the official guidance, because it's been shown that tag searches don't include the categories as tags.
3) In opposition to a comment above, I would advise against including trigger or negative tags. These should go in the Foreword.
3b) However, do include legitimate tags that could be both an attractor for some and a detractor for others - like anal, for example
4) And last, but not least - any story's tags are available at a click of the button at the top of the page. However, I bet you anything you want a very high proportion of readers are unaware of this fact. Therefore, I always put a brief Author's Note at the beginning of a piece of work:

[Optional inclusions]

Authors' note:

Thanks for choosing to read my stories. [This is a non-human fairy-tale that transposes to a romance. - I think a very succinct summary can be invaluable in some cases]

Tags/mini-spoilers: werewolf, non human, red, woodsman, romance, spanking, reluctance, D/s, M/F, wolf, [blackmail, oral, exhibitionism, forced nudity, handmade furniture - whatever you like as extra tags that are past #10 if you still have more to say that's relevant]

[Please be aware that this story includes scenes of ABC and XYZ and a wet-dog smell that may be off-putting for some readers - if you think this is necessary]

[Copyright © 2023. This is a copyrighted work. Unauthorised use is prohibited. All rights reserved by the author.]

I don't think this is too long, and I think most people will appreciate it - especially if it helps them make a decision not to move forward and that might save you a 1-bomb or two as well. Plus, it serves as a bit of a teaser, so if the reader is particularly interested in, for example, 'handmade furniture', they might be willing to over look a slow opening or a typo or two that otherwise might've made them click 'back'.

 

[SimonDoom]

I agree with Altissiums's advice, including where it departs from the "official" advice described in the linked article above. I would add a few things:

1. Only include a tag where you can reasonably believe it will matter to someone's search. For example, let's say your story is set in Kyoto, Japan. It's reasonable to suppose that some people are searching for stories set in Japan, so "Japan" might be a good tag. But "Kyoto" almost certainly is NOT a good tag, because who cares? It's accurate, but it's not likely to make a difference to someone's search. Unless there's something very essentially important about Kyoto to the story, its use as a tag is not likely to make any meaningful difference. You only have 10 tags, so use them wisely and think hard about whether people are truly like to use the tag in a search.

2. As you are picking tags, go to the Tag section of the website and look up the category in which you intend to publish. Scan the most commonly used tags for ideas.

3. Focus hard on what is MOST titillating and sexy about your story, and I.D. the words that bring this out. Use those as tags.

4. Put yourself in the shoes of a reader that might like your story and imagine what words they would use to try to find your story. What about your story is MOST appealing and MOST likely to draw that reader's attention?

 

[BobbyLaker]

1) Use all ten tags. Even if you're struggling and adding in obvious ones towards the end ('oral', 'M/F', 'Hotel Room') you never know what might help someone find your story.
2) Include the category you are posting in (if there aren't ten other tags you deem to be of more import) in direct contravention to the official guidance, because it's been shown that tag searches don't include the categories as tags.
3) In opposition to a comment above, I would advise against including trigger or negative tags. These should go in the Foreword.
3b) However, do include legitimate tags that could be both an attractor for some and a detractor for others - like anal, for example
4) And last, but not least - any story's tags are available at a click of the button at the top of the page. However, I bet you anything you want a very high proportion of readers are unaware of this fact. Therefore, I always put a brief Author's Note at the beginning of a piece of work:



I don't think this is too long, and I think most people will appreciate it - especially if it helps them make a decision not to move forward and that might save you a 1-bomb or two as well. Plus, it serves as a bit of a teaser, so if the reader is particularly interested in, for example, 'handmade furniture', they might be willing to over look a slow opening or a typo or two that otherwise might've made them click 'back'.

The "wet dog smell" is some trope...

 

[AchtungNight]

I often make shit up. I advise against that.

Dude! You’re a writer. We’re all writers here. What the heck else are we supposed to do?

 

[Bamagan]

3) In opposition to a comment above, I would advise against including trigger or negative tags. These should go in the Foreword.
3b) However, do include legitimate tags that could be both an attractor for some and a detractor for others - like anal, for example

I think you might be referring to me. To clarify, I mostly meant your 3b, that certain fetishes are triggers for some readers, even while they serve to attract others. Things like scat, revenge, mind break, identity death, bimbofication, cruelty, and so forth. I don't know how often people search for tags like that, but if a fetish in one's story is also one that triggers a lot of folks, it's a good idea to be sure to include it. Violence warnings or so forth are indeed better saved for a preface or disclaimer.
As an aside, it's funny how tastes can vary slightly between watching and reading sex scenes. I don't have any interest in watching anal sex, and usually skip such scenes if they're included, but reading about it doesn't bother me. The brain is wired weird.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I think you might be referring to me. To clarify, I mostly meant your 3b, that certain fetishes are triggers for some readers, even while they serve to attract others. Things like scat, revenge, mind break, identity death, bimbofication, cruelty, and so forth. I don't know how often people search for tags like that, but if a fetish in one's story is also one that triggers a lot of folks, it's a good idea to be sure to include it. Violence warnings or so forth are indeed better saved for a preface or disclaimer.
As an aside, it's funny how tastes can vary slightly between watching and reading sex scenes. I don't have any interest in watching anal sex, and usually skip such scenes if they're included, but reading about it doesn't bother me. The brain is wired weird.

Well, I don't think scat is even allowed on Lit. Cruelty might be a turn off, but everything supposedly is "consensual" in the end here. I've actually used the word "revenge" in a title, but it was psychological, not physical, and the results weren't too bad.

You can't overthink these things, because there are so many readers and they all have different tastes. You're inevitably going to please some people and alienate others; there is no formula to get around that, including in tag selection. If you want to fill out the full ten tags, the "settings" can be used too - "college," "students," "office sex" and such things work well. The OP has been at this for a while and I see you've done pretty well, so you are already doing it right I'd guess.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

I don't think scat is even allowed on Lit

There are definitely scat stories here and not all of them are tagged as such and I have opinions about that.

 

[gunhilltrain]

There are definitely scat stories here and not all of them are tagged as such and I have opinions about that.

You're right, I don't see it in the content guidelines.

https://www.literotica.com/resources/content-guidelines

I was thinking of another site that does forbid it for some reason. Yet they do have a category called "Water Sports," which specifically allows the drinking of urine. One person's kink is another person's "squick," as we know.

 

[Bamagan]

You're right, I don't see it in the content guidelines.

https://www.literotica.com/resources/content-guidelines

I was thinking of another site that does forbid it for some reason. Yet they do have a category called "Water Sports," which specifically allows the drinking of urine. One person's kink is another person's "squick," as we know.

Yeah, wander over to the Fetish section and you'll find sports in both yellow and brown. Most of it is there and labeled accordingly, but sometimes it pops up in stories from other sections unexpectedly.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Yeah, wander over to the Fetish section and you'll find sports in both yellow and brown. Most of it is there and labeled accordingly, but sometimes it pops up in stories from other sections unexpectedly.

That other site has a lot more categories, which is good for "fine-tuning" where to place a story. It's good to have bisexual, oral sex, occupations, and other options available. They distinguish between "BDSM" and "spanking," which, although there is an overlap, allows for for various distinctions that can't be done in one category. They also have both "cross-dressing" and "trans."

"Steampunk" is an interesting if slightly odd choice. I don''t think Lit has made any changes in categories for a number of years. Some old-timers remember when they did.

 

[Bamagan]

That other site has a lot more categories, which is good for "fine-tuning" where to place a story. It's good to have bisexual, oral sex, occupations, and other options available. They distinguish between "BDSM" and "spanking," which, although there is an overlap, allows for for various distinctions that can't be done in one category. They also have both "cross-dressing" and "trans."

"Steampunk" is an interesting if slightly odd choice. I don''t think Lit has made any changes in categories for a number of years. Some old-timers remember when they did.

Yeah, I've reading the site almost since it was made, since sometime late in the year 2000. I think the existing categories are mostly fine, and there wouldn't necessarily be much benefit to rearranging them... although from the way people talk, Loving Wives might be better off getting a divorce and becoming Open Relationships and Infidelity Revenge categories, or something like that. I think they used to have an Extreme section back in the early days, but I could be getting it mixed up with some other site.
I can understand the desire to limit the number of tags, and it can sometimes be a stretch to fill out all ten for a short story with relatively limited focus. But for longer works it means a strong likelihood of things getting left out. It's part of the reason I tend to shy away from novel-length stuff here. I'm not sure if it would be more hindrance than help to have more "fine-tuning," since that will always be mostly up to the author to anticipate what draws the readers. Maybe if readers had an option to tag stories as well? Probably would just get abused with people using "garbage," or "shit" but not in a scat fetish sense. Maybe readers could offer suggestions that would go to the author for approval? Getting too far into the weeds now, I reckon.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Yeah, wander over to the Fetish section and you'll find sports in both yellow and brown. Most of it is there and labeled accordingly, but sometimes it pops up in stories from other sections unexpectedly.

There is a thriving sub-category of scat, which manifests itself most bizarrely in what I can only describe as lesbian barrel scat.

I stumbled across it by accident, not design, although it was my fault. Quite some time ago I published a story that featured, amongst other things, a momentary fascination with Russian girls shitting in the woods and next to swimming pools, and a girl pushing out a poo into a napkin. That's odd enough, but the story brought a new follower. Tags work, just sayin'!

And, as you do, I wandered into her profile, and read one or two stories. I noted her favourite authors, maybe a dozen or so, and read one or two more stories. I stopped reading at that point, but I can attest, your honour, that the site most certainly does allow scat. That group of authors, and I noticed they all pretty much cross-referenced to each other, enjoyed a common theme - lesbians with full on shit play, the strangest being two women in a barrel full of it.

The world is indeed a strange and curious place. Their barrel ride was nothing like that one in The Hobbit, that's for sure.

@gunhilltrain you lead a most protected life, you should get out more .

 

[Devinter]

I tend to focus on tags that describe certain fetishes and niches, because these are appealing to some and disgusting to others. That way they serve as both a lure and a warning.

However, generally speaking, my goal with the tags is NOT to get as many clicks as possible. Instead, they are there to give an overview of what the reader can expect to find within the story. Sometimes, this does correlate well with things people often search for, and sometimes I've used tags so obscure that they might not even be scientifically accurate, depending on your viewpoint. ("Vaginal Virgin" comes to mind, when only anal sex transpires and the girl in question is still a 'virgin' otherwise. I've used that tag four times, apparently, and there's only six results when I type it into the search bar..)

Most people would consider those tags a 'waste', since they do not drive much traffic. So I guess it depends on what your goal with them is. If you want as many views as possible, then stick primarily to the most popular tags that are relevant to the story, and leave only one or two for other things such as geographical locations or sexual positions you think could be relevant.

 

[Bamagan]

The world is indeed a strange and curious place. Their barrel ride was nothing like that one in The Hobbit, that's for sure.

Much more data than I wanted, thanks.
But as for The Hobbit... the dwarves spent at least 24 hours in those barrels, possibly close to two days. They had no warning to 'go before we leave,' so there's a high likelihood they pissed themselves, and a not small chance they shat themselves. Even assuming none of them got nauseated by all the tumbling and bouncing and bobbing and so forth.
Those barrels were hopefully burned afterwards.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Much more data than I wanted, thanks.

Consider it a public service announcement.

But as for The Hobbit... the dwarves spent at least 24 hours in those barrels, possibly close to two days. They had no warning to 'go before we leave,' so there's a high likelihood they pissed themselves, and a not small chance they shat themselves. Even assuming none of them got nauseated by all the tumbling and bouncing and bobbing and so forth.

Atta boy, you're embracing the concept, with all that tumbling and bouncing and bobbing and shit...

 

[Bamagan]

Consider it a public service announcement.

Atta boy, you're embracing the concept, with all that tumbling and bouncing and bobbing and shit...

PSA: Piss and Shit Alert

 

[gunhilltrain]

There is a thriving sub-category of scat, which manifests itself most bizarrely in what I can only describe as lesbian barrel scat.

I stumbled across it by accident, not design, although it was my fault. Quite some time ago I published a story that featured, amongst other things, a momentary fascination with Russian girls shitting in the woods and next to swimming pools, and a girl pushing out a poo into a napkin. That's odd enough, but the story brought a new follower. Tags work, just sayin'!

And, as you do, I wandered into her profile, and read one or two stories. I noted her favourite authors, maybe a dozen or so, and read one or two more stories. I stopped reading at that point, but I can attest, your honour, that the site most certainly does allow scat. That group of authors, and I noticed they all pretty much cross-referenced to each other, enjoyed a common theme - lesbians with full on shit play, the strangest being two women in a barrel full of it.

The world is indeed a strange and curious place. Their barrel ride was nothing like that one in The Hobbit, that's for sure.

@gunhilltrain you lead a most protected life, you should get out more .

Yes, but at the age of sixty-eight, it's a little late now. The world was relatively prudish when I was growing up compared to now. And maybe I've learned some things on Lit that I'd rather not know.