The lack of decent search functions has led me to be less likely to come here in general, just because of how annoying it is to try and find something of interest. Lack of exclusion filters are a huge issue, and I agree with MossMisfit here. The lack of updates is hard to overlook.
To use a personal example, as someone under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, the appeal of itch is that, in theory, games that are interest to me are more embraced here. However, when it comes to actually find anything worthwhile (to me), the need to be able to narrow a search while filtering out stuff that seems so prevalent with that tag (i.e. visual novel), but not able to do so, makes having LGBTQ+ content almost meaningless.
The tag system definitely needs an overhaul, whether it's a streamlining of available tags, or expanding on current ones. Example: With the rise of games embracing a "retro" aesthetic, there needs to be the ability to filter between games that are just retro-inspired versus games that actually run on retro hardware. Expecting people to wade through the plethora of low-poly tech demos tagged "retro" in the hope of finding something that would actually run on a PS1 (or similar dilemma) is basically asking people to have a bad user experience.
I like the premise of itch, and really hope it continues to do well. However, there's no way I can recommend it in its current state.