What is a tag cloud

The tag cloud is also called a cloud of labels. It is located, as a rule, on the side of the site, sometimes it can be found under the navigation. Such a menu is very popular on blogs where you can use it to pull publications with specific tags or on some specific topic. Nevertheless, despite its convenience, such a system can not replace full-page navigation. It can be used only to facilitate the search on the site. Some links to the tag cloud can be larger, some - smaller. It depends on the popularity of the topic. The more popular the topic, the larger the tag itself on the cloud.

You can make a tag cloud for a site in several ways. It will be very beautiful if it is made using flash. An elegant three-dimensional movie will look great on the blog. The links of this menu are constantly in motion, and they can also be controlled with the cursor. A tag cloud of this type is suitable for a thematic site.

On Word Press, installing a flash cloud is very easy. To do this, you only need to download and install a special plug-in on the site. Links will automatically appear in the video. For any other site, you can find ready-made modules and scripts, whose appearance can be improved if there is a certain knowledge of programming.

Before you make a tag cloud in this way, you need to make sure that the script is compatible with the engine on which the site or blog is running. Some users have already made sure that not every module is suitable in any particular case. So, the script for Joomla! May not work at all in another system. If there is a desire, then another option or path is possible - create a cloud yourself. Here you can do without the knowledge of ordinary HTML. In this case, the cloud will function perfectly on any site.

The first thing you need to do is determine the background or picture on which the tags will be placed. The easiest way to do this is to select a picture and format it in the Photoshop program. The dimensions of the image must be calculated in advance so that it does not violate the design of the web resource. When the background is ready, you should create an HTML table. The dimensions of the table should also correspond to the space allocated to the cloud. It should have three columns and two rows. When the basis for placing links is ready, you need to register tags. Links are made in the same way as in the usual menu.

By clicking on the tag, the user will go to the desired page. Of course, such a system is very simple. It will not have any colorful effects. However, such a tag cloud is perfect for any website, be it an ordinary HTML-site or hosted on Joomla! And other CMS. Some particularly important tags can be identified by using a stylesheet. Automatically they will increase or stand out, of course, will not.

To install a more beautiful cloud, you can also use a PHP script. Such a system will be dynamic. Sometimes it's impossible to put the script because of the limited memory in PHP. You can solve this problem by contacting the hosting provider. In most cases, it is possible to achieve the expansion of memory. A full-fledged navigation tag cloud will never replace. Therefore, in the first place, it is better to take care of a good menu on the site.

If it is a question of a blog, here it is necessary to think over several systems to be guided in materials. In addition to the usual category system, you need to make a menu for the most readable materials, as well as for new articles. If the page is very long, it makes sense to put a button that will carry the reader right to the top of the site. Convenient navigation is one of the factors driving users. If the site has a good and clear menu, then visitors can stay on it for a long time. Provided, of course, that the web resource contains useful information.