Editing SEO titles & descriptions

Learn how to write and edit the SEO title and meta description for your WordPress pages and posts using an SEO plugin.

When your page appears in Google search results, two of the main things shown are the title (the clickable link) and the description (the short summary below it). You can suggest both, though Google sometimes shows its own version instead. This guide shows you how.

Quick summary

Install an SEO plugin like Yoast SEO or Rank Math. When editing any page or post, open the SEO plugin's panel (from its icon at the top right, or below your content for Yoast). Set a clear, compelling title short enough not to be cut off, and a description (Yoast suggests up to 155 characters). Save the page.

What you'll need

Administrator or Editor access to WordPress
An SEO plugin installed and active (Yoast SEO and Rank Math are both excellent)

Don't have an SEO plugin yet?

If your site doesn't have Yoast SEO or Rank Math installed, let us know. We'll set it up for you and configure the site-wide defaults. Both are widely used SEO plugins for WordPress.

What are SEO titles and descriptions?

SEO title (meta title)

This is the headline shown in search results — and also what appears in the browser tab. It's separate from your page's visible heading (the H1 at the top of the page).

A good SEO title:

Tells people exactly what the page is about
Includes your most important keyword naturally
Is short enough to show in full (Google has no set limit, but it cuts long titles to fit the screen)
Puts the most important words first

Meta description

The description is the short summary that can appear below the title in search results. Google often builds that summary from your page's text instead, but a good description gives you the best chance of having your words shown.

A good meta description:

Summarizes what the page offers
Includes a subtle call to action ("Learn how," "Find out," "Get a free quote")
Is up to about 155 characters (Yoast's guideline; Google trims longer ones to fit the screen)
Reads naturally — it's for humans, not bots

How to edit the SEO title and description

Open the page or post you want to edit in the WordPress editor.

Open Yoast's editing tools. Either click the Yoast icon at the top right of the editor to open the Yoast SEO sidebar, or scroll below your content to the Yoast SEO meta box.

Open the search preview. In the sidebar, click the preview item (Yoast's help pages call it Google preview or Search appearance); a window opens with the editable fields. In the meta box, make sure the SEO tab is selected; the preview sits just below the Focus keyphrase field.

Look over the preview. It shows roughly how your page could look in search results, with the SEO title, slug, and meta description fields to edit.

Edit the SEO title. Type in the title field. Watch the bar under it: it turns orange or red if the title is too long.

Edit the meta description. Type in the description field. The bar under it turns green when the length is about right. It's orange while the description is too short, and orange or red when it's too long.

Click Save (or Publish for a new page) to save the page. Older versions of WordPress show Update instead of Save.

Writing effective titles and descriptions

Title tips

Do this	Avoid this
"Bookkeeping Services for Small Businesses — Smith & Co."	"Home" or "Page 1"
Put important keywords near the start	Stuffing with keywords: "Bookkeeping bookkeeper accounting tax"
Include your business name (usually at the end)	Cutting off mid-word by going too long

Description tips

Good example:

We handle bookkeeping and tax prep for Chicago small businesses. Get organized, save time, and stop worrying about your books. Request a free consultation.

This tells what the business does, who it's for, and what to do next, all within Yoast's suggested 155 characters.

Pages that especially need attention

Prioritize these pages first:

Homepage — Most important of all
Services or product pages — What you want people to find
About page — Often appears in branded searches
Contact page — Last step before someone reaches out
Blog posts — Each post is a chance to rank for a specific topic

Common questions

Google is showing different text than what I wrote — why?

Google picks the title and summary it shows automatically. For titles, it looks at your SEO title alongside other text such as the page's main heading, and it may use something else if it spots a problem, like a half-empty or inaccurate title. For the summary, it mostly uses your page's own text, can show different text for different searches, and uses your meta description when it thinks that describes the page better. Titles and descriptions that are accurate and focused on what the page actually contains give you the best chance of being used.

What's the difference between the SEO title and the page heading?

The page heading (H1) is what visitors see on the page itself. The SEO title is what appears in search results and browser tabs. They're usually similar but don't have to be identical. Your SEO plugin manages the SEO title; your page editor manages the H1.

Do I need to fill in titles and descriptions for every page?

Ideally yes, but start with your most important pages. For a page with no description, Google builds the summary from the page's text, which may not be the part you'd choose.

How long until changes show up in Google?

Google recrawls pages on its own schedule. Google says crawling can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. You can ask Google to recrawl a page with the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console, but Google doesn't guarantee that will make the change show up quickly.

Need a hand?

If you're stuck, email support@chykalophia.com and we'll help. Include your website address and a screenshot if you can.