Library·SOP·SEO
For a new or existing WordPress post or page, set an accurate SEO title and meta description with its already active Yoast SEO plugin. Save it as a draft if review remains; if ready and you have publishing rights, publish or update it, then check the values in the live page source. The search preview is an example, and Google may show different wording for a query.
Last reviewed: · Editorial review
Clarity, structure and references reviewed in this version. This is not a test in a live account.
For a new or existing WordPress post or page, set an accurate SEO title and meta description with its already active Yoast SEO plugin. Save it as a draft if review remains; if ready and you have publishing rights, publish or update it, then check the values in the live page source. The search preview is an example, and Google may show different wording for a query.
This SOP covers:
This does not cover:
The SEO title names the page in search results. The meta description is a short summary that may appear below it. Both should set an expectation the page actually meets.
Open or create the exact WordPress post or page and confirm what it helps a reader do before drafting its search copy.
For an existing item, open the post or page by its title or public URL. For a new item, create a draft in the block editor and give it a working title. Confirm the editor shows the intended item and whether it is Draft or Published. Do not change an established page URL in this procedure.
Read the visible heading, introduction, and sections that answer the reader’s question. Note the question the page answers and any main phrase already selected. Use that phrase only if it fits naturally; do not invent a promise the page does not deliver.
Write a specific title and useful description from the page’s actual content, then compare both with the worked example.
Name the page’s main subject and, when useful, one distinguishing detail. Keep the title truthful and different from other pages. Include a chosen search phrase only when it reads naturally.
Write a short, plain-language summary of what the page helps a reader understand or do. Mention concrete details the page actually covers; avoid generic invitations and unsupported promises.
Tomato example — weak title: “Tomato | Green Notes.”
Tomato example — weak description: “Tomato growing tips. Click to learn more.”
For the fictional tomato-in-pots page, a clearer title is “Tomatoes in Pots: Pot Size, Sunlight & Watering.”
A clearer description is “Choose a pot with drainage, plan sunlight and watering for tomatoes grown in containers, and find the separate fertilizer guide.” Use details like these only when the page really includes them.
Yoast SEO has page-specific search-appearance fields, separate from site-wide templates in Settings. This procedure changes only the current page.
Open Yoast SEO search settings for this page.
In the block editor, open the Yoast SEO sidebar with the Yoast icon at the top right. Choose Google preview, then open the search-appearance preview to edit this item’s snippet. If the sidebar is unavailable, scroll below the content to the Yoast SEO meta box and use its preview. Do not open Dashboard > Yoast SEO > Settings or change a Content Types template.
Confirm the page-level Title and Meta Description fields are for this item. Use the Yoast SEO per-page editor only; do not change site-wide defaults, the page URL, or social-sharing values.
Enter your drafted title and description in Yoast SEO’s page-level fields, leaving the URL and site-wide settings alone.
In the page-level search-appearance editor, replace the SEO title with your drafted title. If the title contains snippet-variable chips or a generated template, read the preview after editing and keep only wording that stays accurate for this page. Do not change the site-wide template.
Replace the page-level meta description with your drafted summary. Keep any variable only if the preview resolves to accurate, useful wording. Leave Social appearance and global settings unchanged.
Use the preview and any length bar as guidance, not a fixed character rule or a reason to repeat a phrase. If the copy is accurate and clear, do not chase a green score.
A search preview is a mockup. Check the saved page output directly after updating it.
Review the Yoast search-appearance preview before saving. Switch between desktop and mobile when those controls are shown, and keep the page topic and useful distinction easy to understand in both.
Read the desktop preview from the beginning. Check that the page topic, distinguishing detail, and site name if present still make sense if a line is shortened.
Switch to the mobile preview and make the same check. Remove filler if it hides the meaning; do not force the copy to fit a character target.
Save the item in its current workflow state. Update a published page; for a draft, use the appropriate save or publish control.
For an already published page, choose Save to update it. For a draft that is ready to go live and you have publishing rights, choose Publish and confirm WordPress’s prompt. If it still needs review, choose Save draft and send the editor link and completed metadata values to the reviewer or publisher.
After publication or update, open the public page URL in a new tab and reload it. If the item is still a draft, hand the editor link and both completed metadata values to the publisher, then return for the live check after publication.
Check the public page’s actual HTML so you know what Yoast SEO saved, rather than relying on the preview.
In desktop Chrome, open the public page. Press Ctrl+U on Windows/Linux or Command+Option+U on Mac to open View Page Source in a new tab. Press Ctrl+F or Command+F and Find <title to locate the title. Then Find name="description" to locate its meta tag.
Read the text after the opening title tag and before its closing tag. In the tag containing name="description", the content="..." value is the description text. Compare those words with what you saved in Yoast SEO. If the title adds the site name, compare the full title shown in the preview.
