Weak software taxonomy results in messaging issues that only get worse over time. Let me show you what I mean.

Imagine you’ve built a toolbox for construction aficionados. Inside, you have countless tools, each doing a different job. But instead of organizing them in ways that make sense, you just toss them into one giant box and call it a day.

Unfortunately, this is the reality for some B2B SaaS companies that skip the taxonomy work.

Rather than deciding how to group, connect, and name capabilities, they simply follow dashboard logic or adopt an ad-hoc taxonomy created by teams trying to fit features.

This can cause big messaging issues. Here’s what I mean …

• Tool overlap, creating redundancy: You end up with 3 similar hammers scattered throughout the box, and buyers can’t tell if they’re different or not.
• Hidden tools bury product value: Your best laser-guided saw gets buried under a pile of basic tools, so prospects never discover your most valuable capability.
• Flat tool hierarchy hides what matters: Everything looks equally important when it’s all jumbled together. A premium power drill sits next to a basic screwdriver with no indication of which one solves bigger problems.
• Artificial toolbox split breaks the story: You categorize tools randomly as either indoor or outdoor and put them into 2 separate boxes, even though most projects need tools from both.
• Scattered tools confuse people: Someone looking for “something to cut wood with” finds a handsaw in one corner, a circular saw elsewhere, and wood chisels buried under measuring tools.
• Vague tool labels leave people guessing: You label your drill bits as “metal pointy things” and your power drill as “spinning device.” As a result, people don’t know how to search for things.

As a result, your best capabilities stay hidden. People can’t fully understand the range of your product and how it fits their real-life needs.

Moreover, as you add more tools to your collection, you have no idea where to fit them in your messaging structure.

Everything becomes a puzzle.

But what if you’d do things differently from the beginning?

Imagine you’ve built this incredible toolbox for construction aficionados. Inside, you have countless tools, but they’re neatly organized into clear categories based on their function:

• Cutting tools: Saws, utility knives, precision cutters
• Fastening tools: Hammers, nail guns, screws, brackets
• Measuring tools: Tape measures, laser levels, squares
• Power tools: Drills, electric saws, sanders

This is your taxonomy.

Every tool (feature) has a logical place. Nothing overlaps confusingly. A hammer is always in fastening, never randomly mixed in with measuring tools.

This structure becomes your messaging’s backbone. You know how to build your website and how to showcase your product.

People can get a quick overview of what’s inside the toolbox and they know where to search for things.

That’s how you achieve messaging clarity.

And here’s where it gets even more interesting … This taxonomy can help you build use cases as if they’re LEGO bricks. Think modular messaging.

Someone building a tree house might need the same cutting and fastening tools but also rope and safety gear, which live in different parts of the toolbox. And a shed builder might need power tools, plus weatherproof paint and sealants.

You can put together messaging for use case pages without changing where the tools belong in the toolbox. You simply highlight different tools depending on the project at hand, tailoring the selection to what buyers really need.

This is how software messaging should work.

Your taxonomy stays consistent, reflecting the real structure of your product. Meanwhile your messaging curates and spotlights the most relevant capabilities for different assets, ICPs, or use cases.