Generate Your Meta Tags

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are meta tags and why are they important?

Meta tags are HTML elements that provide information about your web page to search engines and website visitors. They don’t appear on the page itself but in the page’s code.

They’re important because:

  • Help search engines understand your content
  • Influence how your pages appear in search results
  • Control how browsers and search engines handle your page
  • Improve click-through rates from search results
  • Provide information for social media sharing
Where should I place these meta tags in WordPress?

You should place meta tags in the <head> section of your WordPress site. There are several ways to do this:

  1. Theme Editor: Go to Appearance → Theme Editor → header.php
  2. SEO Plugins: Use plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math
  3. Functions.php: Add through your theme’s functions file
  4. Child Theme: For safest customization, use a child theme

For most users, SEO plugins provide the easiest and most flexible solution.

How often should I update my meta tags?

You should review and update your meta tags:

  • When content changes: After significant content updates
  • Seasonal updates: For time-sensitive content
  • SEO performance: If pages aren’t ranking well
  • Rebranding: When your business focus changes
  • Algorithm updates: After major search engine updates

For most sites, reviewing meta tags quarterly is sufficient. For competitive niches, monthly reviews are recommended.

What’s the ideal length for title and description tags?

Title Tag: 50-60 characters

Search engines typically display the first 50-60 characters of a title tag. Keep it concise but descriptive.

Meta Description: 150-160 characters

This is your advertisement in search results. Make it compelling while accurately describing the page content. Include primary keywords naturally.

Note: These are guidelines, not strict limits. Focus on creating valuable content rather than counting characters.

Should I use the same keywords on every page?

No, each page should have unique keywords that reflect its specific content.

Keyword best practices:

  • Focus on 1-2 primary keywords per page
  • Include 3-5 secondary keywords
  • Use long-tail keywords for specific content
  • Avoid keyword stuffing (1-2% keyword density)
  • Ensure keywords match the page content

Using the same keywords across multiple pages creates “keyword cannibalization” which confuses search engines and hurts rankings.

What’s the difference between index and follow?

These are directives for search engine crawlers:

Index/noindex: Controls whether a page should be included in search engine indexes

  • Index = Include this page in search results
  • Noindex = Exclude this page from search results

Follow/nofollow: Controls whether search engines should follow links on a page

  • Follow = Crawl links on this page and pass “link juice”
  • Nofollow = Crawl links but don’t pass ranking value

For most content pages, you want “index, follow”. For pages like login screens or thank you pages, “noindex, nofollow” is appropriate.

How do meta tags affect social media sharing?

Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn use special meta tags to determine how your content appears when shared:

Open Graph (Facebook/LinkedIn):

  • og:title – Title of your content
  • og:description – Brief description
  • og:image – Thumbnail image
  • og:url – Canonical URL

Twitter Cards:

  • twitter:card – Card type (summary, large image, etc.)
  • twitter:site – Website’s Twitter handle
  • twitter:creator – Content creator’s handle

Our generator includes these social media meta tags automatically to ensure your content looks great when shared.

Can I add custom meta tags to specific pages?

Yes, and it’s recommended to customize meta tags for important pages. In WordPress:

  1. With SEO plugins: Most plugins have per-page meta settings
  2. Page Builders: Many include SEO modules
  3. Custom Code: Add directly to template files
  4. Functions.php: Conditionally add tags

Best practices for custom tags:

  • Unique titles/descriptions for each page
  • Page-specific keywords
  • Custom Open Graph images for important content
  • Schema markup for rich snippets
  • Canonical tags for duplicate content
How long does it take for meta tags to affect SEO?

Meta tags alone won’t dramatically change rankings, but they contribute to SEO improvements:

Immediate effects:

  • Changes are visible to crawlers within days
  • Improved CTR can happen quickly

Long-term effects:

  • Ranking improvements take 2-6 months
  • Requires consistent quality content
  • Depends on competition and domain authority

For best results, combine optimized meta tags with:

  • High-quality, relevant content
  • Good site structure and navigation
  • Mobile-friendly design
  • Quality backlinks
  • Fast page loading speeds