You probably already heard about ?tag? and ?tag cloud?. I hope so, but if not ? it is easy to change ? just read the article. As for me, everything connected with tags and tag clouds is close to my heart right now, because I have found out how useful it can be for every web-site and especially for web-shops.

Wikipedia.org explains ?tag? as a (relevant) keyword or term associated with or assigned to a piece of information (a picture, a geographic map, a blog entry, a video clip etc.), thus describing the item and enabling keyword-based classification and search of information. Tags are usually chosen informally and personally by item author/creator or by it is consumer / viewers / community. Tags are typically used for resources such as computer files, web pages, digital images, and Internet bookmarks. A ?tag cloud? is a visual depiction of content tags used on a website. Tags are typically listed alphabetically, and tag frequency is shown with font size or color. Thus both finding a tag by alphabet and by popularity is possible. The tags are usually hyperlinks that lead to a collection of items that are associated with that tag.

I understand ?tag cloud? as a page with tags ? so you can scan all of them in one place and choose, which to click on. Tags can be used for describing almost anything you can think of: an article or web site's subject, category, products, pictures, people, places, ideas. It is simple keyword meta data. And you can use as many tags as you like. You can create as many tags as you want and rename or delete the tags later ? it is easy and very flexible system. In such way you are creating your tag cloud.

Tag clouds help you to:

- show the subject of your web-shop in one look

- provide an intuitive way of discovering your online store

- provide your customers with easy visual way of browsing and finding needed information / product

- show rates of tags? content in a simple way

Tag cloud is a really efficient tool for your site on one side, and a ?breathing of fashion? in another. If your web-shop does not have it ? it won't look like a progressive one. That is why providing tag cloud on your web-shop is very good for its reputation. By the way, with tag cloud your web-page will be indexed not only for one key-word, but for all relative tags. It greatly helps to get better SEO results.

There is a software by MagneticOne.com, which I truly believe is the best in ?tag topic? for you web store! It helps to create a professional tag cloud for your online store. Here are the main benefits for you:

- the software creates a professional tag cloud in a few minutes

- you can choose criteria for tags? comparison for your online shop

- there are 12 criteria and also the most used parameters in default version

- easy installation and simple work with the Module

- there are very useful ideas about best places to insert tags on your web-shop

- regular free upgrades

You can read more and try the Tag Cloud Module for osCommerce and for other shopping carts here http://www.magneticone.com/store So, tag cloud is useful, very useful thing for your online store. If you don't believe me yet ? try! :-)