Tag Clouds and it’s effect on SEO

A tag cloud or word cloud (or weighted list in visual design) is a visual depiction of user-generated tags, or simply the word content of a site, typically used to describe the content of web sites. Tags are usually single words and are normally listed alphabetically, and the importance of a tag is shown with font size or color. Thus, it is possible to find a tag alphabetically and by popularity. The tags are usually hyperlinks that lead to a collection of items that are associated with a tag.

What is the purpose of showing tag cloud?
The main purpose of showing a tag cloud is to tell visitors what is a page about. Frequently used tags are shown either in different color or in a larger font. It also helps visitors to quickly navigate to the pages which are tagged.

Tag Cloud

How it effect SEO?
As it is an onpage element, it can effect only the onpage optimization in both positive and negative way. It’s typically just a list of links which are pointing towards some of your inner pages.

Positive Effects

• Easy Navigation: With the use of tag cloud, you are helping your visitors to easily go to the pages tagged with the keyword.
• Displaying Important Pages: Tag cloud helps your visitors as well as search engine spiders to find your important pages tagged with the keywords.
• Related Posts: Tagging your pages relates other pages tagged with same keywords.

Negative Effects

• Link Popularity: Being a bunch of outgoing links, it reduces the overall link popularity of the page.
• Keyword Stuffing: As the tag cloud is a bunch of keywords, it increases the keyword density and you might receive penalties for over stuffing keywords.
• Pagerank Leakage: Since the tags are linked to a page, it lets the Pagerank of a page flowing through and thus decreasing the page’s overall weight.

So, in my opinion, it is better not to use tag cloud on any pages. Having a good category navigation for blogs serves the same purpose. Keeping the tags in the tag cloud doesn’t harm and you are free to use it, but think about those short of factors whenever you are deciding to use.