Tags play a key role in helping customers discover your fonts. When used effectively, they improve visibility in search results, enhance search engine optimization (SEO), and ensure your fonts appear in the most relevant contexts.
A well-crafted tag list increases discoverability across Monotype Fonts, MyFonts, and search engines, helping your work reach the right audience.
Why tags matter
Tags act as keywords that describe the style, purpose, and personality of your font family.
They help:
- Improve how your fonts appear in search results and recommendations
- Ensure accurate categorization within Monotype Fonts and MyFonts
- Support SEO through meaningful and well-structured metadata
By using clear and relevant tags, you create a more accurate representation of your work and make it easier for customers to find the fonts they need.
Tagging guidelines
We’ve implemented a set of guidelines to help ensure fonts are properly categorized and easy to find. Following these best practices improves visibility, enhances SEO performance, and ensures your fonts reach the right audience.
Tag relevance
Select tags that describe the unique features and intended use of your font. Focus on specific and accurate keywords that clearly communicate what makes your design stand out.
Clarity and conciseness
Use simple, clear English words. Tags can be up to 30 characters long, allowing space for creativity while keeping information direct and readable.
Customer focus
Think about how your audience searches. Use accessible, customer-friendly language rather than technical terminology.
Mix of broad and specific tags
Include both general and detailed tags. For example, combine a broad tag like Sans Serif with a specific one like Geometric Sans. This approach helps customers discover your fonts at different stages of their search.
Avoiding duplicates
Duplicate tags are removed automatically to keep your list efficient and accurate.
Capitalization autocorrection
New tags are automatically formatted in Title Case. Major words are capitalized (for example, “Sport,” “Time”), and smaller conjunctions remain lowercase (for example, “and,” “or”).
Sensitive words
If a tag includes sensitive language, it will be highlighted and trigger a warning message. These tags can still be saved, but the warning ensures they are used thoughtfully.
Character limit
Each tag can include up to 30 characters. If a tag exceeds this limit, you’ll receive a prompt to shorten it.
For example:
- ✅ “Children Birthday Card” (22 characters)
- ❌ “Childish Comic Book Lettering and Brush Style” (45 characters)
Single-character tags
Avoid single-character tags such as “A” or “X.” These are too broad to describe a font effectively. The system will suggest choosing a more descriptive tag.
Historical referencing
When tagging fonts with historical references, use consistent and clear date formats:
- Century: “1800s”
- Possessive form: “1800’s”
- Range: “1800–1820”
- Specific year: “1965”
Avoid using “1800” alone, as it lacks context and may reduce accuracy.
Banned words
Tags containing banned words are automatically blocked. You’ll receive a notification to review and replace any invalid entries before saving.
Formatting and special characters
Use standard English characters, Unicode alphabetic characters, numbers, hyphens, and apostrophes (for example, “Liberté,” “Xièxiè,” “Noapte bună,” “晚上好”).
Avoid HTML tags or escape characters. Proper formatting improves SEO and ensures tags display correctly across platforms.
Tag consistency and SEO compliance
Avoid vague or repetitive tags such as “ABC” or “Glyph.” Well-structured and specific tags improve search accuracy and strengthen SEO performance.
Note: Automated tagging rules apply to new tags only. Existing tags remain unchanged unless edited.
How to add tags
Go to your Font Family page.
- In the Tags field, type or paste your list of tags.
- You can paste several tags separated by commas.
- The system will automatically separate and format each one when you press Enter.
- Review your list to ensure accuracy and clarity.
- Save your changes to apply the tags to your family.
Each font family can include up to 20 tags. If more than 20 are added, the system will prompt you to remove the extra entries.
Best practices for strong tagging
- Keep each tag relevant, clear, and unique.
- Combine style, purpose, mood, and era descriptors to tell a complete story.
- Avoid redundancy or overly similar wording.
- Review for proper spelling and capitalization.
- Use words your customers actually search for.
A thoughtful, well-balanced set of up to 20 tags helps your fonts reach the right audience and perform better across MyFonts and other search platforms.
Why tag limits matter
A focused tag list delivers better performance and a smoother search experience.
- For search engines: Concise, high-quality tags prevent metadata overload and improve SEO ranking.
- For machine learning systems: Clear, consistent tags enhance recognition and classification.
- For customers: Relevant tags make it easier to find the right fonts quickly and confidently.
Summary
Effective tagging is key to discoverability. By choosing precise, consistent, and meaningful tags, you ensure that your fonts are accurately represented and easy to find.
The right tags not only describe your work but also connect your fonts with the people who are looking for them.
Need more help?
If you have questions about tagging or want guidance on optimizing your font visibility, reach out to us at foundrysupport@monotype.com
Our team is here to support you and help your fonts get the attention they deserve.