Contact tags are easier to organize and identify with tag categories and customizable tag colors. Categories group related tags into a structured system, while colors provide a visual cue when tags appear across supported contact views.

Existing tags continue working without additional setup. They initially appear in gray and are automatically placed in No category, allowing you to organize them gradually.

Tag categories and colors are currently available through Labs. Labs features may evolve as they progress toward broader availability.

What are Tag Categories and Colors?

Tag Categories and Colors enhance the existing contact-tag system without changing the underlying purpose of tags. Categories provide an organizational layer for grouping related tags, while colors provide a visual layer that makes tags easier to identify.

• Tag Categories: Group related contact tags into named categories.
• Tag Colors: Apply predefined or custom colors to individual tags.

Key Benefits of Tag Categories and Colors

A structured tagging system makes large contact databases easier to maintain and reduces the time users spend searching through long lists of similar tags.

• Improved Organization: Group related tags into categories that match your business processes.
• Faster Identification: Use color to recognize important tag types at a glance.
• Flexible Customization: Choose predefined colors or select a custom color.
• Safe Existing-Tag Handling: Existing tags continue working and begin in No category with gray styling.
• Bulk Management: Move multiple tags between categories in a single action.
• Cleaner Contact Management: Category grouping makes tags easier to locate on contact records.
• Visual Consistency: Tag colors appear across supported contact and Smart List experiences.

Understanding the Tags Management Page

The Tags management page provides a centralized workspace for reviewing, creating, organizing, and updating contact tags. It combines category, description, color, and tag information so you can manage a growing tag library more consistently.

The Tags tab includes information such as:

• Tag name
• Description
• Category
• Created date
• Updated date
• Edit and delete actions

Organizing Tags with Categories

Categories act as containers for related contact tags. Instead of maintaining one large, flat tag list, you can group tags based on how your team uses them, such as lifecycle stage, product interest, region, source, or customer status.

Creating a Category

A clear category structure makes individual tags easier to locate and creates a repeatable organizational model for teams that use a large number of tags.

1. Open the Tags management page.
2. Click Create category.
3. Enter a descriptive Category name.
4. Add an optional description.
5. Click Create category.

Create category window showing the Category name and Description fields.

Understanding No Category

No category provides a default location for tags that have not been assigned to a custom category, ensuring every tag always has an organizational home.

A tag is placed in No category when:

• The tag existed before tag categories were introduced.
• No custom category has been assigned.
• The category containing the tag is deleted.

Creating Tags with Categories and Colors

Assigning organization and visual styling when a tag is created reduces future cleanup and helps other users understand what the tag represents.

When creating a tag, you can configure:

• Tag name
• Category
• Description
• Tag color

1. Click New tag.
2. Enter the Tag name.
3. Select the appropriate Category.
4. Add an optional description.
5. Choose a tag color.
6. Review the Preview.
7. Click Create tag.

Create tag window showing Tag name, Category, Description, Tag color options, and Preview.

Personalizing Tags with Colors

Tag colors provide a visual cue that helps users distinguish tag types faster. A consistent color system is especially helpful when individual contacts have several tags applied at the same time.

Using Predefined Colors

Predefined colors offer a quick way to create visual consistency without manually selecting a specific color value. If no color is selected, the tag uses gray by default.

Using a Custom Color

The custom color picker gives you greater control when the predefined options do not match the visual convention or brand palette you want to use.

1. Open the tag's edit action.
2. Locate Tag color.
3. Select the custom color option.
4. Choose the desired color from the picker.
5. Review the Preview.
6. Save the update.

Update tag window showing category assignment, tag description, predefined colors, Preview, and the custom color picker.

Moving Tags Between Categories

Moving tags lets you reorganize an existing tag library without recreating the tags themselves. This is especially helpful when existing tags begin in No category and need to be organized into a new structure.

Bulk Moving Tags

Bulk movement is the fastest way to organize an established tag library when several tags belong to the same category.

1. Open the Tags tab.
2. Select the tags you want to reorganize.
3. Click Move to category.
4. Select the destination category.
5. Confirm the move.

Using Categories and Colors on Contact Records

Categories make the tag selector easier to navigate on individual contact records, while colors make selected tags easier to distinguish once they have been applied.

Selecting Categorized Tags

The tag selector supports searching by tags or categories and groups available tags according to their category, helping users locate the correct label more quickly.

1. Open the contact record.
2. Locate Tags.
3. Click the add/edit tags control.
4. Search for a tag or category.
5. Expand the appropriate category.
6. Select or deselect the required tags.
7. Click Apply.

Viewing Colored Tags on a Contact

Once tags are applied, their assigned colors appear on the contact record, making different classifications easier to recognize without opening the tag selector.

Tag colors also appear in supported Smart List columns, helping users scan tagged contacts more quickly.

How Existing Tags and Automations Are Affected

Categories and colors enhance the existing contact-tag system rather than replacing it. This means you can organize established tags without rebuilding the tag itself or changing its basic role in contact segmentation and workflows.

Existing tags:

• Remain available.
• Initially appear gray.
• Start in No category.
• Can be moved into custom categories later.
• Can be assigned a color at any time.

Contact Tags vs. Opportunity Smart Tags

Contact-tag colors and Opportunity Smart Tags may both use colored labels, but they solve different problems. Keeping the two concepts separate prevents users from assuming that contact-tag colors are rule-based pipeline labels.

How To Setup Tag Categories and Colors

A planned tag structure is easier to maintain than reorganizing tags individually without a consistent convention. Start with broad categories, organize existing tags, and then add colors where visual identification will provide the most value.

Step 1: Review Your Existing Tags

Reviewing the current tag library first helps you identify duplicate naming patterns, heavily used tags, and logical groups before introducing categories.

• Lead sources
• Lifecycle stages
• Products or services
• Regions
• Campaigns or events
• Internal operational labels

Step 2: Create Your Categories

Broad, reusable categories are easier for teams to understand than highly specific categories that contain only one or two tags.

1. Click Create category.
2. Enter a clear category name.
3. Add a description when additional context is useful.
4. Create the category.

Step 3: Organize Existing Tags

Existing tags begin in No category, so you can reorganize them gradually without interrupting your current tagging system.

1. Select related tags.
2. Click Move to category.
3. Choose the destination category.
4. Repeat for additional groups.

Step 4: Add Colors to Important Tags

Apply colors where visual identification will save users time instead of coloring every tag solely for decoration.

• High-priority tags
• Customer-status tags
• Lead-qualification tags
• Product-interest tags
• Operational-alert tags

Step 5: Verify the Contact Experience

Testing the result on a contact helps confirm that the category structure is easy to navigate and that the chosen colors are understandable in day-to-day use.

• Categories make the intended tags easier to locate.
• Selected colors are easy to distinguish.
• Users understand the color convention.
• Adding and removing tags works as expected.

Step 6: Review Existing Automations

Categories and colors add organization, but workflows, Smart Lists, filters, and integrations may still rely on individual tag names. Review those dependencies before renaming or deleting established tags.

1. Identify workflows using the tag.
2. Review Smart Lists and filters that reference it.
3. Confirm campaigns or integrations that depend on it.
4. Make structural changes carefully.

Best Practices for a Scalable Tag System

A smaller number of intentional categories and repeatable color rules are easier to maintain than an overly granular system that users cannot consistently remember.

• Use categories for purpose: Group tags by repeatable business use rather than individual contacts.
• Keep names consistent: Decide on capitalization and naming conventions before reorganizing a large library.
• Document color meanings: Make sure users understand what important colors represent.
• Avoid excessive color variation: Colors are most useful when they communicate a repeatable meaning.
• Use descriptions for context: Add descriptions when a tag's purpose is not obvious from its name.
• Review No category regularly: Keep uncategorized tags from becoming another large flat list.
• Review before deleting: Deleting a category moves its tags to No category, while deleting the actual tag is a separate action.

Frequently Asked Questions

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