diff --git a/encode.go b/encode.go
index 9f090cc..9285082 100644
--- a/encode.go
+++ b/encode.go
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 package qs
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"net/url"
 	"reflect"
@@ -75,7 +74,7 @@ func NewEncoder(options ...EncoderOption) *Encoder {
 		tagSize := 5
 		tags := make([][]byte, 0, tagSize)
 		for i := 0; i < tagSize; i++ {
-			tags = append(tags, make([]byte, 0, 64))
+			tags = append(tags, make([]byte, 0, 56))
 		}
 		return &encoder{
 			e:     e,
@@ -248,28 +247,27 @@ func (e *encoder) getTagNameAndOpts(f reflect.StructField) {
 	tag := f.Tag.Get(e.e.tagAlias)
 
 	// Clear first tag in slice
-	e.tags[0] = e.tags[0][len(e.tags[0]):]
+	e.tags[0] = e.tags[0][:0]
 
 	if len(tag) == 0 {
 		// no tag, using struct field name
-		e.tags[0] = append(e.tags[0], f.Name...)
+		e.tags[0] = append(e.tags[0][:0], f.Name...)
 		e.tags = e.tags[:1]
 	} else {
 		// Use first tag as temp
-		e.tags[0] = append(e.tags[0], tag...)
-		splitTags := bytes.Split(e.tags[0], []byte{','})
+		e.tags[0] = append(e.tags[0][:0], tag...)
 
+		splitTags := strings.Split(tag, ",")
 		e.tags = e.tags[:len(splitTags)]
 
-		if len(splitTags) > 0 {
-			if len(splitTags[0]) == 0 || string(splitTags[0]) == " " {
-				splitTags[0] = append(splitTags[0][len(splitTags[0]):], f.Name...)
-			}
-		}
-
 		for i := 0; i < len(splitTags); i++ {
-			// Clear this tag and set new tag
-			e.tags[i] = append(e.tags[i][len(e.tags[i]):], splitTags[i]...)
+			if i == 0 {
+				if len(splitTags[0]) == 0 {
+					e.tags[0] = append(e.tags[i][:0], f.Name...)
+					continue
+				}
+			}
+			e.tags[i] = append(e.tags[i][:0], splitTags[i]...)
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/encode_field.go b/encode_field.go
index 6955771..62c5e95 100644
--- a/encode_field.go
+++ b/encode_field.go
@@ -181,10 +181,6 @@ func (e *encoder) newListField(elemTyp reflect.Type, tagName []byte, tagOptions
 		}
 	}
 
-	if field, ok := listField.cachedField.(*embedField); ok {
-		e.structCaching(&field.cachedFields, reflect.Zero(elemTyp), nil)
-	}
-
 	switch listField.arrayFormat {
 	case arrayFormatRepeat, arrayFormatBracket:
 		if listField.arrayFormat >= arrayFormatBracket {
@@ -194,9 +190,15 @@ func (e *encoder) newListField(elemTyp reflect.Type, tagName []byte, tagOptions
 	case arrayFormatIndex:
 		tagName = append(tagName, '[')
 	}
+
 	listField.baseField = &baseField{
 		name: string(tagName),
 	}
+
+	if field, ok := listField.cachedField.(*embedField); ok {
+		e.structCaching(&field.cachedFields, reflect.Zero(elemTyp), nil)
+	}
+
 	return listField
 }