{"id":4022,"date":"2020-02-04T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-04T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/?p=4022"},"modified":"2020-09-01T15:13:56","modified_gmt":"2020-09-01T13:13:56","slug":"add-wordpress-meta-description","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/add-wordpress-meta-description\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Add Meta Descriptions in WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]When trying to get your content noticed by search engines and people alike, there are many different SEO techniques you can use. One of the techniques that play a major role in the ranking of your website is the addition of meta tags, among which meta description is practically the most important. [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]Meta description is a short snippet, a tag in HTML, that is usually the first bit of your content that people see in search results. Considering it can help them decide whether to click on your page or not<\/strong>, it\u2019s especially important to do your best when generating your meta description.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]Luckily, if you choose the right SEO tools<\/a> to optimize your website, setting your meta descriptions is as easy as it can get. That\u2019s why today we\u2019ll talk about all that you need to know when it comes to this vital SEO strategy and show you how you can add WordPress meta descriptions by using the Yoast SEO plugin<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”68px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

How Do Meta Descriptions Work<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Typically, there are three things that people see first when they come across your page in the search results: the title, the URL of your page, and the meta description<\/strong>. As we already mentioned, a meta description is a small paragraph that represents a compelling summary of what your post or page is about. If your meta description contains keywords that users are searching for, search engines will highlight them when displaying your meta description in the search engine results page (SERP).
\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]For example, if you type in \u2018WordPress\u2019 into the Google search bar, this is what a meta description will look like:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]

\n
\n \"Meta <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Before we move forward, we should mention that you\u2019re not necessarily required to create your own meta description. Namely, Google automatically picks a few sentences from your content that it deems to be the most important<\/strong>. But sadly, even when you set your own, Google can still show the wrong meta description<\/a> sometimes. However, if you want to have complete control over the first thing that your users will see related to your page, then we strongly encourage you to write your own.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”68px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

What to Keep in Mind When Creating Your Own Meta Descriptions<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]It\u2019s safe to say that the main purpose of meta description is to entice users to click on your page by summarizing the gist of its content in a way that is short, but compelling<\/strong>. While that may sound easier said than done, there are some general things to consider that can help you out immensely while figuring out how to form your meta description. Here\u2019s what you should keep in mind:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”38px”]

\n\t
\n 1.<\/span>\n \n Meta description length<\/span>\n <\/span>:<\/span> Even though Google has changed the rules regarding the meta description length several times in the past, currently there\u2019s no strictly defined length. Generally, however, you will mostly find meta descriptions that are around 155 characters long, though the length can go all the way to 300+ characters. Whether you\u2019ll go for a shorter or longer one depends on the message you want to get across, as well as the nature of your content. Either way, we recommend that you keep your meta description as sharp and as straight to the point as possible, and aim to include your main message in the first 155 characters \u2013 just in case.\n<\/span> <\/div>\n <\/div>
\n\t
\n 2.<\/span>\n \n Keywords<\/span>\n <\/span>:<\/span> We already mentioned the use of keywords earlier. Generating your own meta descriptions is the perfect opportunity to include your keywords (or their synonyms) because this will tell people that your content has exactly the information they\u2019re looking for. If there are keywords in your meta description that match those the user has typed in the search bar, there\u2019s a bigger chance your meta description will be used by Google. Just make sure to include your keywords as naturally as possible.<\/span> <\/div>\n <\/div>
\n\t
\n 3.<\/span>\n \n Matching your content<\/span>\n <\/span>:<\/span> Your meta description should reflect your page\u2019s content, i.e. it shouldn\u2019t be misleading. Not only does the use of meta description that is completely unrelated to your content open a huge potential for high bounce rates, but it also puts you at risk of getting a penalty by Google.<\/span> <\/div>\n <\/div>
\n\t
\n 4.<\/span>\n \n Precision<\/span>\n <\/span>:<\/span> Apart from matching with your content, your meta description should also reflect the very essence of what you want to present to potential visitors. Whatever your page is about, you should let people know exactly what they can expect by clicking on it, and you should do it as accurately as possible.<\/span> <\/div>\n <\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”42px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#f0f0f0″][vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=”banner-seo”][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_separator color=”custom” accent_color=”#f0f0f0″][vc_empty_space height=”80px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

How to Add Meta Descriptions in WordPress With the Yoast SEO Plugin<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Apart from taking care of your focus keyword, SEO title and slug, Yoast SEO also allows you to easily modify your meta description<\/strong> if you are using a WordPress-powered website. After you install and set up the Yoast SEO plugin<\/a> and start editing your page or post, you will find the option to add your own meta description in the Yoast SEO tab, right underneath your content section. Your meta description field will appear once you click on \u201cEdit snippet\u201d.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]

\n
\n \"Modify <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]To add your meta description, simply type in your text in the Meta description field, and modify it until the bar turns green (if the bar is orange, your meta description is too short, while color red indicates that it\u2019s too long). [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"Type <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Yoast SEO also lets you set a meta description for individual categories or tags. You can do this by accessing Posts > Categories<\/em> (or Posts > Tags<\/em>). Then, simply find the category or tag whose meta description you wish to change and click on Edit.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"Post <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”60px”]
\n
\n \"Edit <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Once there, you will be able to find Yoast options for changing your meta description.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"Tag <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_column_text]Yoast SEO\u2019s Search Appearance<\/em> tab also offers some additional options for setting your meta description. You can easily access this tab from your WordPress dashboard by going to SEO > Search Appearance<\/em>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"Seo <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”50px”][vc_column_text]For example, if you\u2019d like, you can also make meta description templates for all your pages or posts in the Content Types<\/em> tab.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"SEO <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Here, you can incorporate one of the available snippet variables by clicking on \u201cInsert snippet variable\u201d.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"Insert <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]You can choose from adding your Site Title<\/em>, your Title<\/em> (i.e. the title of your page or post), a Primary category<\/em> of your post or page, and a Separator<\/em> (a small symbol that can be used to separate different parts of your text from a snippet variable, or two different snippet variables).[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"SEO <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]We added Title<\/em> and Site Title<\/em> variables to the meta description template for a post to demonstrate how you can combine snippet variables with your own text:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"Combine <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]And this is how this meta description will be displayed:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"Snippet <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]In the same way, the Content Types<\/em> tab allows you to add meta description templates for your custom post types, such as WooCommerce Product<\/em> pages.The Yoast plugin will automatically detect your custom post types and add them to the options.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"Product <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Of course, you can always use your templates as a base, and then change them in any way you like on the page, post, or custom post type itself.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”28px”][vc_column_text]In the Taxonomies<\/em> tab, you can also set a default meta description for all your categories and tags:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"SEO <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”38px”][vc_column_text]Finally, the Archives<\/em> tab allows you to modify the meta description of your archives as well.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”50px”]
\n
\n \"SEO <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=”79px”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As they represent the first bits of insight into your page, meta descriptions are small, but extremely important components of your website\u2019s SEO<\/strong>. With the right set of tools, setting a proper meta description that will be recognized and displayed by search engines is not that hard. Just pay attention to the character length (around 155 characters is optimal), and make sure that your meta description is clear, unique, informative and convincing enough<\/strong> for users to click on your content.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A meta description is the first bit of your content that people see in search engine results, which is why we’ve decided to show you how to add it in WordPress.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[15,25,13],"class_list":["post-4022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tutorials","tag-plugins","tag-seo","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4022\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}