{"id":112267,"date":"2020-11-20T20:59:34","date_gmt":"2020-11-21T02:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/?post_type=resource&p=112267"},"modified":"2025-01-07T14:50:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T20:50:26","slug":"how-to-create-custom-taxonomies-in-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/case-studies\/resources\/how-to-create-custom-taxonomies-in-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create Custom Taxonomies in WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Content in WordPress can usually be gathered into distinct groups. Most of your posts and pages will be assigned to a type of \u2018taxonomy\u2019 \u2013 i.e. a category or tag \u2013 that already exists. However, you might also need to create a custom WordPress taxonomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, the process for doing this is straightforward. Knowing how to create and update taxonomies will enable you to better organize your site, and help visitors find what they\u2019re looking for more quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

In this article, we\u2019ll look at how to create a custom WordPress taxonomy. However, before that, let\u2019s discuss what a taxonomy is in more detail!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a WordPress taxonomy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A WordPress taxonomy<\/a> is a way to organize posts and other content. The two most common types are categories and tags. Categories are designed for grouping similar posts together, while tags (much like hashtags) describe what a specific post contains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most WordPress websites use these built-in taxonomies for organizing content. This is useful to both you and your visitors, since it helps everyone find what they want more efficiently. What\u2019s more, grouping your content this way can even benefit your site\u2019s Search Engine Optimization (SEO)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to create a custom taxonomy with a plugin<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Categories and tags are great, but what if you want other ways to organize your content? As is standard for WordPress, there are both user-friendly and developer-friendly ways to create a custom taxonomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re going to cover the plugin approach first. The first step is to choose your desired tool. We\u2019ll use the free Advanced Custom Fields<\/a> (ACF) plugin, based on its flexibility and ease of use. ACF is a complete content modeling solution, allowing you to create not just custom taxonomies, but custom post types and over 30 different custom field types to customize your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Add a new blank taxonomy and populate the fields<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To get started, you\u2019ll want to download<\/a> the latest version of ACF, and then install and activate<\/a> the plugin. Once you\u2019ve done that, head to the ACF Taxonomies<\/em> screen within your WordPress dashboard:

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Next, click Add Taxonomy<\/em> or Add New<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fill in the required fields for Plural Label<\/em>, Singular Label<\/em>, and Taxonomy Key<\/em> (for example, \u201cRecipes,\u201d and \u201cRecipe,\u201d and \u201crecipe\u201d respectively).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clicking the Post Types<\/em> field will open a dropdown that allows you to select one or more of the existing post types on your site. The plugin will not force you to select a post type, but the taxonomy will not be available if you don\u2019t. For now, we\u2019ll just select Posts<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also three toggle switches: Public<\/em>, Hierarchical<\/em>, and Advanced Configuration<\/em>. \u201cPublic\u201d is toggled on by default. Switch on \u201cHierarchical\u201d if you want to create further custom taxonomies that have parent-child relationships. For example, you could create a custom taxonomy for \u201cRecipes,\u201d and then a child custom taxonomy within that called \u201cVegetarian Recipes.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third toggle switch, Advanced Configuration<\/em>, gives you even greater control of how your custom taxonomy works. Please see the ACF documentation for more information on advanced configuration for custom taxonomies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve filled in the necessary fields, click Save Changes<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Step 2: Extend your custom taxonomy <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your new taxonomy is now ready for use. ACF gives you a notification, as well as some handy links to add custom fields, link existing field groups, create or duplicate taxonomies, and create a custom post type. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new taxonomy will be visible when editing any of the associated post types. Since we added it to \u201cPosts,\u201d we can see it when we create a new post: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You can see all your custom taxonomies by clicking ACF > Taxonomies. <\/em>You can also make edits to your existing taxonomies by clicking on them in this screen. 
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With that, your new taxonomy is set up and ready to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to create a custom taxonomy with code<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019d rather not use a plugin, or if you\u2019re a developer who finds the manual approach easier, you can create your custom taxonomies with code. The steps below are simple to implement, especially if you have previous experience navigating WordPress\u2019 core files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Determine if you want a hierarchical or non-hierarchical taxonomy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First, you\u2019ll want to decide whether your taxonomy will be hierarchical or not. Here\u2019s a quick summary of the differences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n