Do you want to learn how to add WordPress meta tags without a plugin, like the millions of other website owners who do?
“META TAGS” – A SEO feature that CHANGES THE GAME!
“Meta Tags” are something that can help if you’re attempting to raise your SERP ranking!
Yes, it indicates increased traffic, sales, and profits.
Do you currently use meta tags on your website? Want to add WordPress meta tags without using a plugin?
We’ll break down this process into fairly simple steps in this technical guide. We’ll also point out a few of the most significant advantages of using meta tags!
Let’s first discuss what meta tags are and why they are important before moving on.
What are Meta Tags?
The HTML tag section known as meta tags contains important information about a web page.
They provide a summary of the page’s content and aid search engine crawlers in understanding the subject matter of a website or web page.
Additionally, meta tags are hidden and only visible in the HTML code of the page, inside the head> element. Simply clicking anywhere on the website will display it. Click the source code option in the context menu.
Is this becoming too technical?
Ok! I’ll make it easy for you, please!
The coding fragments known as meta tags give search engines crucial details about your website.
All search engine crawlers’ first impact and point of contact are meta tags.
Why are the meta tags necessary?
1. Better For SEO
As a result, all pages and posts on a WordPress website should have meta descriptions.
2. Helps Search Engines Index Pages Easily
As a result, Google will index the pages faster the more effectively the search engine crawler retrieves the content.
3. Helps In Better Ranking
4. Improves Website Visibility
1. Title Tag
2. Meta Description
3. Meta Keywords
4. Heading (Header) Tag
5. Image Alt Attribute
6. Robots Meta Tag
7. Canonical Tag
8. Schema Markup
Let’s go over each of these in turn:
1. Title Tag
Long tail keywords make a difference! So, embed them in title tags.
Add “modifiers” to this tag (How to |Review | The current year | Best | Top |Tips |easy |Find | Buy).
Try to add numbers to your title tag (9 Important HTML tags for your website to improve your SEO)
Keywords are important but don’t stuff the keywords unnecessarily.
Start your title tag with your targeted keyword.
Keep the title tag unique for every page.
Try breaking up your title tag using a question, colon, or bracket and your agency name to enhance readability and brand recognition.
2. Meta Description
Your website’s meta description serves as a summary. In the search results, it is shown beneath the title tag.
Additionally, because it appears in the search results, the meta description has a big impact on how many people click on your page.
Google extended the length of search result snippets earlier this year. However, the meta description is now only 150–160 characters long, including spaces, and is still descriptive.
Important things to keep in mind when crafting an appropriate meta description tag:
While writing a meta description, don’t put much stress on the number of characters. If needed, Google might fetch Meta description text from your content depending on a user’s query.
Avoid duplicate Meta Descriptions.
Include your primary targeted keywords in the descriptions.
Embed clear Call-to-action (CTA) in your descriptions. Reach out to us, Apply today, Rely on us, Contact us today, Check-out, etc.
Encourage visitors to click by creating specific and relevant content in the meta description.
Include any discounts or special offers you’ve going on.
3. Meta Keywords
Prepare a list of targeted keywords.
Use the keywords in the description.
Try to make the description more meaningful and relevant while placing the keyword.
Try to use long-tail keywords.
Place your most relevant keywords or phrases at the beginning of your list.
4. Heading (Header) Tags (H1-H6)
Create a relevant description without stuffing the keyword in the tag.
Be clear and to the point.
Create informative filenames.
Develop an image sitemap.
Try to fit the text in 50-55 characters (up to 16 words) in the alt text.
Prefer a small file size for faster page loading speed (Just don’t compromise the image’s resolution)
6. Robot Meta Tags
FOLLOW –This attribute instructs the search engine crawler to follow all the links on that webpage.
INDEX – This attribute tells the search engine crawler to index the entire webpage
NOFOLLOW – This instructs the search engine crawler NOT to follow the page and any links on that webpage.
NOINDEX – This attribute tells the search engine crawler NOT to index that webpage.
Additionally, these tags are beneficial because they give you precise control over how search engines interpret your website.
For example, you might have produced some pages that offer little value to users but are necessary for the website to have for some other reason. Let’s say you don’t want this content to be taken into account when determining the overall quality of your website. The nofollow attribute then spares Google bot resources for non-unique content.
Similar to this, you might want some particular pages to not appear in SERPs because they offer a special deal that is only supposed to be accessible through a direct link, like one from a newsletter. No index is very helpful in this situation because it won’t use up unnecessary Google resources.
Points to remember to create Robot meta tags
7. rel= “canonical” Link Tag
The lines in red indicate that the specified URL should be treated as a replica on any webpage that contains this tag.
The technical answer to managing duplicate content is the rel=”canonical” link tag.
Search engines may become confused if there are several pages with nearly identical content covering the same subject or if the same page is available under several different URLs. It would therefore be beneficial if you let search engines know which URL you want to rank with.
The canonical tag can be used to accomplish this. When a URL contains the canonical element, search engines are told to display that URL in their results. You can direct your SEO efforts in that direction.
Tips for using the canonical link tag:
Use the canonical tag for pages with similar content on the same subject.
Implement canonical tags for duplicate pages available under multiple URLs.
If the two pages connected by a canonical tag vary too much in content, the search engine crawler will disregard the title.
8. Schema Markup
Each web page’s data is organised using a tag called schema markup. It aids search engines in comprehending your content and accurately displaying it in search results.
It’s crucial to have structured schema markup if you want to raise your SERP ranking. It aids search engines in interpreting the text on web pages and determining the significance of particular words.
You can gain a competitive edge, increase CTR (click-through rate), drive more traffic, and enhance organic search results affordably by implementing structured data markup from schema.org.
The user doesn’t even have to click through the results when using Schema Markup to find the response to their query. They will receive a rich snippet with an eye-catching image, a range of prices, business hours, stock information, a 5-star rating, or anything else that is useful. Furthermore, compared to a plain-text result, it is more likely to catch the user’s eye.
Use the schema markup carefully (use Structured Data Markup Helper if required).
Test the markup thoroughly to ensure it isn’t added improperly or misled.
Create a map of your most relevant pages and finalize the concepts relevant to each page.
How to Add WordPress Meta Tags Without a Plugin?
Step 1: Go To Appearance> Theme Editor
Step 2. Go to Theme Functions (header.php) File
the add_meta_tags() function
worldwide $post;
when (is_single())
($post->post_content) = strip_tags;
$post->post_content = strip_shortcodes;
$meta = str_replace(array(“n,” “r,” “t”), “”, $meta);
Substituting with ($meta, 0, 160);
get_the_category($post->ID), $keywords
; $metakeywords
the keyword foreach ($keywords as $keyword)
. “, “; $metakeywords.= $keyword->cat_name;
}
echo ‘
‘. “n”; meta name=”description” content=”‘. $meta. ‘”
echo ‘
‘. “n”; “meta name=”keywords” content=”‘. $metakeywords. ‘”;
}
}
(‘wp_head’, ‘add_meta_tags’, 2)
Why Add WordPress Meta Tags Without a Plugin?
1. The foremost reason not to use a plugin is that it affects the site’s speed. It makes your WP website slow.
2. While adding meta tags manually, you can notice a slight improvement in your website’s performance.
3. Adding meta tags without a plugin helps you avoid unwanted scripts generated by SEO plugins.