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Setting Up Categories and Tags

Best practices for organising your quote library for maximum efficiency and professional presentation.

A well-organised category system is the foundation of an efficient landscape architecture practice. This guide shows you how to set up categories and tags that make sense for Australian landscape professionals and grow with your business.

Why Organisation Matters

  • • Find items 5x faster with proper categories
  • • Create professional client presentations instantly
  • • Improve AI search accuracy and suggestions
  • • Scale your practice without losing efficiency

Core Category Structure

Start with these proven categories that work for most Australian landscape architecture practices.

Plant Categories

🌳 Trees

Feature, shade, screening, street trees

🌿 Shrubs

Feature, screening, hedge, foundation

🌱 Groundcovers

Low growing, lawn alternatives, slope

🌾 Grasses

Ornamental, turf, sedges, rushes

Material Categories

🏗️ Hardscaping

Paving, walls, fencing, structures

💧 Irrigation

Systems, controllers, fittings

🌱 Growing Media

Soils, mulch, compost, aggregates

👷 Labour

Installation, maintenance, design

Smart Tagging Strategy

Tags add context that makes items easier to find and helps AI understand relationships between items.

Functional Tags

drought-tolerant
child-safe
low-maintenance
fast-growing
bird-attracting
coastal-suitable
frost-hardy
pollution-tolerant

Location Tags

melbourne-suppliers
sydney-delivery
regional-victoria
inner-city
coastal-regions
mountain-areas

Project Type Tags

residential
commercial
public-space
rooftop-garden
pool-area
streetscape

Step-by-Step Setup Process

Step 1: Start with Standards

Begin with the core categories above, then customise based on your practice:

  1. Go to Settings → Categories
  2. Import standard landscape architecture categories
  3. Review and adjust for your specific needs
  4. Add any specialisation categories (e.g., "Rooftop Gardens")

Step 2: Create Tag Library

Build a consistent tag library that your team will actually use:

  1. List the most common plant characteristics you search for
  2. Add location tags for your service areas
  3. Include project type tags for different client sectors
  4. Create a team reference guide for consistent tagging

Step 3: Train Your Team

Ensure consistent application across your practice:

  1. Share the category structure and tag library
  2. Practice categorising items together as a team
  3. Set up rules for who can create new categories
  4. Schedule monthly reviews to maintain consistency

Specialisation Examples

Customise your categories based on your practice's specialisations and client base.

Sustainable Design Focus

  • • Water-wise plants
  • • Recycled materials
  • • Carbon-sequestering trees
  • • Biodiversity-supporting species

Commercial Specialists

  • • Low-maintenance commercial
  • • High-traffic areas
  • • Corporate branding colours
  • • Security considerations

Coastal Specialists

  • • Salt-tolerant plants
  • • Wind-resistant species
  • • Coastal erosion control
  • • Marine-safe materials

Heritage & Historic

  • • Period-appropriate plants
  • • Traditional materials
  • • Heritage-listed considerations
  • • Conservation techniques

Maintaining Your System

Keep your category system effective as your practice grows and evolves.

Monthly Reviews

  • • Check for items without proper categories
  • • Identify frequently used tags to promote to categories
  • • Remove unused or duplicate categories
  • • Update team training based on new patterns

Quarterly Evolution

  • • Analyse search patterns to identify gaps
  • • Add categories for new service offerings
  • • Refine categories based on client feedback
  • • Update tag library with new industry terms

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Too Many Categories

Having 50+ categories makes organisation harder, not easier. Stick to 15-20 main categories with subcategories as needed.

Inconsistent Naming

"Trees", "Tree", and "TREES" are different categories to the system. Establish naming rules and stick to them.

No Team Training

Without proper training, team members create their own categories, leading to chaos and inconsistency.

Measuring Success

Know when your category system is working effectively.

Good Indicators

  • • Team finds items quickly without asking
  • • Less than 5% of items are uncategorised
  • • Client presentations look professional
  • • Search results are consistently relevant

Warning Signs

  • • Team creates duplicate categories
  • • Many items in "Miscellaneous"
  • • Searches return too many irrelevant results
  • • Categories rarely used after creation

What's Next?

With your categories and tags set up, learn how to set up Stripe payments to streamline your client billing process.