How to modify default meta description, title, and keywords in Magento 2
The default description, default title, and default keywords input fields in Magneto administration used to create SEO issues for store owners ever since version 1.X of Magento. Magento versions 2.X are no exception to this issue.
Why is this an issue?
The SEO best practice for meta descriptions is to have a unique meta description for each URL on your website summarizing the content of that exact URL. When dealing with extremely large data sets it’s usually impossible to write one for every URL so online stores resort to writing a unique one just for category pages, CMS pages, and some very important product pages and leave the rest of the blank.
The issue is, when a custom meta description is left blank in Magento (and in Magento 2), the system defaults to default meta description values. For this reason, you’ll see the following in the source code:
</p>
<p>Clearly, this is far from ideal. You most likely don’t want your description to say “Default Description”, your keywords to say “Magento, Varien, E-commerce”, or your title to say “Magento Enterprise Edition”. It would be much better if the default meta description was left blank so search engines can (when not provided with a unique one) create a snippet on their own from the content of the page.
Meta keywords are not used at all so those should be left blank as well.
How to change default meta description, default title, and default meta keywords in Magento 2.X?
In Magento 1.X, you used to find this setting under “System > Configuration > General > Design > HTML Head“.
If you’re used to this like me, you were surprised to see this was removed from Magento 2.X.
But I have good news for you. You don’t need to bug your developers to remove the default values from the database, the interface is not really removed, it’s just relocated.
Navigate to very logical (*sarcasm*) location in Magento 2.X admin: “Content > Design > Configuration“
In there choose a store scope for which defaults you’ll be editing and click “Edit”.
Scroll down till HTML Head section and viola, here’s where you can delete/edit those.
Once again, our best practice advice from the SEO perspective would be to leave descriptions and keywords blank. The title can either be left blank or changed to your brand name.
We’ve gone a step ahead and developed our own Magento 2 SEO extension
Although the default Magento 2 SEO gives you a great foundation for default Magento 2 SEO settings, we’ll gladly help if your Magento 2 needs some SEO help in the long run. Want to improve your organic traffic? Reach out and let us prepare a support package that fits your marketing needs.
14 comments
This post has excellent information. I really liked getting this information. You keep posting like this.
Nice Article.
Thank you for the comment! Glad it was helpful.
there is no doubt how you researched hard to get these points on meta description, really appreciate the efforts you have put in!
Thanks for sharing this one, but I have some problems with the meta title on the category page.
I have to change it but still has not changed.
thanks
How can we override meta tag file for set dynamic meta for specific cms page?
Meta keywords is a waste of time because it’s not used by search engines AND it exactly shows your competitors what keywords your researched and are targeting
See also an official statement from Google about not using meta keywords:
Google does not use the keywords meta tag in web ranking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK7IPbnmvVU
This information may be new to some web developers (but the video is 10 years old, see how hard it can be to get rid of meta keywords…)
Hello,
This is not correct 100%, I am working on Magento 2 CE site.
I did edit title, Meta description and meta keywords while I go to view source page noting had changed.
I did try so many times. ADMIN > CONTENT > DESIGN CONFIGURATION > I choose the very top website global.
I have changed on Head Default Page Title , Default Meta Description and Default Meta Keywords; I did entered on text boxes. Save Configuration nothing happening. I repet the same procedure to the next Main website and English as well. Same bug.
Go to codoil.com > view source
===============================================================================
COD Oil – Heating Oil On Demand
===========================================================================
key words are all wrong and the repeat content too.
Thoughts?
Is that on the xml of default magento page? Layout ???
JB
Hi Toni,
If leave default description blank, how do i add description to homepage?
Thanks
Nice Article. this article solve my confusion about Title and Meta description in magnto platform. but I didn’t get understand you said,”SEO perspective would be to leave description and keywords blank. The title can either be left blank or changed to your brand name.” can You please elabrate this one.
Great article, but my question is. Is there a way to create a ‘simple’ module that easily echo’s the {{product_name}} and {{store_name}} of the category- and product page.. so i can use hem inside the ‘default site description’
In Magento, meta desc and keywords are above tags, but according to seo, title should come above meta desc and keywords. So, how to change the position of title?? my magento website is http://www.compoint.in/
I am new one for this site. I learn new information from your post thank you for sharing useful article for me.
Great article Toni! Thanks for sharing 🙂