Meta tags and titles are essential elements for SEO on your WordPress website. They help search engines understand the content of your pages and improve your visibility in search results. Updating these tags is simple, and you can easily optimize them for better performance. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to update meta tags and titles on WordPress.
1. Install an SEO Plugin
The easiest way to update meta tags and titles on WordPress is by using an SEO plugin. Plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math are two of the most popular options. These plugins allow you to edit meta tags directly from your WordPress dashboard, without needing to touch any code.
To install an SEO plugin:
- Go to your WordPress dashboard.
- Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
- Search for either “Yoast SEO” or “Rank Math.”
- Click Install Now and then Activate.
2. Update Meta Title and Description for Individual Pages or Posts
Once you’ve installed the SEO plugin, you can start editing the meta title and description for individual pages or blog posts.
For Yoast SEO:
- Open the page or post you want to edit.
- Scroll down to the Yoast SEO section beneath the content editor.
- Click on the Edit Snippet button.
- In the SEO Title field, enter the desired title tag (up to 60 characters).
- In the Meta Description field, write a brief summary of the page (up to 160 characters).
- Click Update or Publish to save your changes.
For Rank Math:
- Open the page or post you want to edit.
- Scroll down to the Rank Math section below the content editor.
- Click on the Edit Snippet button.
- Enter your custom title in the SEO Title field and description in the Meta Description field.
- Click Update or Publish to save your changes.
3. Edit the Meta Tags for Your Homepage
If you want to update the meta tags for your homepage, follow these steps:
For Yoast SEO:
- Go to SEO > Search Appearance from the WordPress dashboard.
- Under the General tab, you can edit the meta title and description for your homepage.
- Scroll down to Homepage & Front Page.
- Enter a new SEO title and meta description.
- Click Save Changes.
For Rank Math:
- Go to Rank Math > Titles & Meta from the WordPress dashboard.
- In the Homepage tab, you can edit the title and description for your homepage.
- Enter the new meta title and description and save the changes.
4. Bulk Edit Meta Tags for Multiple Pages
If you have many pages or posts to update, SEO plugins offer bulk editing options to save time. In Yoast SEO:
- Go to SEO > Tools.
- Click on Bulk Editor.
- You’ll see a list of titles and descriptions that you can edit in bulk.
For Rank Math:
- Rank Math also provides a Bulk Edit feature in the Titles & Meta settings. This lets you quickly update multiple titles and descriptions across your site.
5. Use Custom Meta Tags for Special Pages
If you need to add custom meta tags for specific pages (for example, a landing page with specific keywords), SEO plugins allow you to add custom HTML meta tags:
- For Yoast SEO, you can add custom meta tags through the Advanced section of the page’s edit screen.
- For Rank Math, you can add custom meta tags under the Advanced tab of the page or post editor.
6. Check Your Changes Using Google Search Console
After updating your meta tags, it’s a good idea to check how Google sees them. You can do this through Google Search Console:
- Go to your Search Console account.
- Navigate to URL Inspection.
- Enter the URL of the page you updated.
- Click Request Indexing to prompt Google to crawl your page and update its results with your new meta tags.
Conclusion
Updating your meta tags and titles in WordPress is easy with the help of SEO plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math. By customizing your meta titles and descriptions, you ensure that your content is more appealing to search engines and users. Remember to keep your titles and descriptions relevant, engaging, and optimized for your target keywords.
If you need help optimizing your meta tags for better SEO performance, Social Media Max is here to assist! Call us at 0161 399 3517 or email Syed_66@hotmail.com. Let’s work together to boost your site’s SEO and attract more visitors.
