Search engines can index and crawl your sites more easily with the use of meta tags. Furthermore, you can improve your search ranks by include keywords in your meta tags.
What are meta tags?
Meta tags can aid in improving the way search engines interpret your content. For instance, you can add tags to a post or page after it is published that include the author, language, meta description, and other pertinent details.
These tags are made up of HTML code that crawlers and search engines can detect hidden inside your material. Therefore, a meta tag that designates a piece of content for a specific kind of document looks like this:
<meta name="resource-type" content="document" />
In the meanwhile, the following is how a meta tag with the author’s information will appear:
<meta name="author" content="InCreativeWeb Team">
To improve your website, you might include targeted keywords in your meta tags. People who look for material using those particular keywords or phrases will see your site on search engines.
Search engines may find it simpler to crawl and index your pages if you use meta tags.
Three methods for adding meta tags to WordPress
Now that you have a better understanding of meta tags, follow these instructions to add them to WordPress.
1. Add meta tags manually
It can be dangerous to alter significant site files as part of this. Making a backup of your website before you start is therefore a good idea.
With File Manager, you may view the files on your site. You can also use FTP to access the files on your website.
Alternatively, from your WordPress dashboard, select Appearance > Theme File Editor. Next, locate the header.php option in the Theme Files column.
Add your meta tags in the head section between <head></head> after opening the file.
You can add a plethora of meta tags to your website, as we’ve already explained. For example, the following tag should be used if you wish to include a meta description:
<meta name="description" content="InCreativeWeb delivers excellence in UI UX Design, Front-End Development and WordPress Design Services. Partner with us to create a visually stunning website.">
In the meanwhile, you can add the following meta tag to include your copyright notice:
<meta name="copyright" content="Copyright (c) 1997-2004 John Hughes. All Rights Reserved."/>
After that, to save your modifications, click Update File.
Should you want to employ this technique, bear in mind that the header.php file will be modified and replaced each time your theme is updated.
It is advised to use the header.php file in the child theme rather than the parent theme when creating a child theme in WordPress and making the required changes. By using a child theme, you can keep the core WordPress files unchanged and ensure that any customizations-such as the manual adding of meta tags-are maintained across upgrades.
2. Use a generic plugin to add meta tags
Since this is a more approachable alternative for beginners, you may be wondering how to add meta tags using a plugin. This feature is available in a number of WordPress SEO plugins, including Yoast SEO and All in One SEO (AIOSEO).
- You must navigate to Plugins > Add New in order to get started. After that, look for the plugin and select Install Now > Activate.
- Navigate to Settings > Meta Tag Manager when activation is successful. At this point, you may begin crafting unique meta tags and designating them to various sections of your website.
- Click Add Meta Tag as a result.
- At the beginning of the section, you might include a reference name. Next, pick a value (like author) from the dropdown menu after selecting a tag type (like name).
- The content that matches your tag should be entered in the Content Attribute box.
- The next step is to choose the location for the tag to be displayed. For example, the tag can be shown on pages, posts, media, and more. Press the “Save Changes” button.
- Navigate now to the General Options tab.
In editing a post, page, or media file, this is how you add meta tags that will only show on that particular item. The WordPress editor has a meta box called Meta Tag Manager underneath it.
For every post and page on your site, you may build unique meta tags right here.
3. Use an SEO plugin to add meta tags.
If not the most popular meta tags from an SEO perspective, which are often the title and description tags, then the majority of SEO plugins offer the ability to add meta tags in WordPress.
Its benefit is that you can add unique tags to each individual piece of content on your website.
Also, integrating all of this is fairly easy. As one of the most well-liked WordPress SEO plugins, Yoast SEO will be used as an illustration.
Once the plugin is installed and enabled, you can go to editing on any post or page on your website and search for this area underneath the editor box.
This is where you may customize your post’s or page’s SEO description and title. Simply save the post as usual when you’re finished.
How to optimize meta tags in WordPress
Now that you are familiar with adding meta tag in WordPress, let’s look at some strategies for optimizing meta tags to improve their position in search results. First of all, the length of the material should be taken into account while crafting meta descriptions.
Search results pages typically have between 120 and 160 characters shown. Therefore, you should try to keep your meta description to no more than 150 characters.
Additionally, you have the option to “front-load” your most important material to appear to visitors first. Furthermore, you may make sure that the most important information is still displayed even if the search engine only shows 120 characters.
Better yet, it’s critical to make it apparent to visitors right away what they will learn from reading your blog post or article in order to increase your click-through rate.
Finally, adding meta tag to WordPress pages is an important part of optimizing your website for search engines and increasing its exposure in search results. In this article, we looked at three alternative ways, each with its own set of benefits and versatility. Whether you want to manually add meta tags, use SEO plugins, or use custom functions, the essential point is that meta tags are critical to improving your site’s SEO performance and reaching a larger online audience. The best approach to building a WordPress website can be determined by knowing these methods and making informed decisions.
Author
Jayesh Patel
Jayesh Patel is a Professional Web Developer & Designer and the Founder of InCreativeWeb.
As a highly Creative Web/Graphic/UI Designer - Front End / PHP / WordPress / Shopify Developer, with 14+ years of experience, he also provide complete solution from SEO to Digital Marketing. The passion he has for his work, his dedication, and ability to make quick, decisive decisions set him apart from the rest.
His first priority is to create a website with Complete SEO + Speed Up + WordPress Security Code of standards.