Meta Tags & Social Media: Setup Guide

Overview

SEObolt manages three types of meta output:

SEO Meta Tags

Meta Title

The title that appears in Google search results as the blue clickable link.

Set globally: SEObolt > Settings > General > Title Format

• Default: %post_title% - %site_name%
• Example output: "Best Running Shoes - My Store"

Override per-post: Edit any post > SEObolt panel > SEO Title field.

Character limit: 50-60 characters. SEObolt shows a real-time counter:

• Green: Good length
• Yellow: Getting long
• Red: Will be truncated in search results

Meta Description

The snippet text below the title in search results.

Set globally: SEObolt auto-generates from the content excerpt.

Override per-post: Edit any post > SEObolt panel > Meta Description field.

Character limit: 150-160 characters. Aim for 150-155 for the sweet spot.

Title Separator

The character between your post title and site name:

Set in SEObolt > Settings > General > Title Separator.

Available Template Variables

Open Graph (Facebook, LinkedIn)

Open Graph tags control how your content appears when shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, Discord, Slack, and other platforms.

Setup

Per-Post Customization

Edit any post or page, open the SEObolt panel > Social tab, and customize:

Image Requirements

Twitter/X Cards

Twitter Cards control how your content appears when shared on Twitter/X.

Setup

Card Types

Per-Post Customization

Edit any post > SEObolt panel > Social tab:

Social Preview

SEObolt includes live previews in the editor showing exactly how your page will appear:

• Google Preview — Desktop and mobile search result appearance
• Facebook Preview — Link card with image, title, and description
• Twitter/X Preview — Tweet card appearance

Changes update in real time as you type.

Robots Meta (Advanced)

Control how search engines handle each page:

Set globally: SEObolt > Settings > General (by post type)

Set per-post: Edit post > SEObolt panel > Advanced tab

Common uses:

• noindex tag pages, author archives, or thin content
• noindex utility pages (thank you pages, login pages)
• nofollow pages with only external links you don't endorse

Canonical URL

Tells search engines which URL is the "original" version when duplicate content exists:

• Default: SEObolt sets canonical to the page's permalink (correct for most pages)
• Override: Edit post > SEObolt panel > Advanced > Canonical URL

When to set a custom canonical:

• Syndicated content (point to the original source)
• Similar pages (point to the main version)
• HTTP vs HTTPS duplicates (usually handled automatically)

Troubleshooting

Social Share Shows Wrong Image or Title

1. Clear the platform's cache:
   • Facebook: Use the Sharing Debugger — paste your URL and click "Scrape Again"
   • Twitter/X: Simply post the URL in a tweet draft to preview the card (the standalone Card Validator has been retired)
   • LinkedIn: Append ?v=2 to your URL when sharing to force a re-fetch
2. Check image size — Facebook requires minimum 200x200px. Recommended: 1200x630px.
3. Check for duplicate OG tags — Another plugin or your theme may be outputting competing tags. View source and search for og:title.
4. Wait for cache — Platforms cache previews for 24-72 hours after the first share.

Title/Description Not Appearing in Google

1. Wait — Google doesn't always use your meta tags immediately after publishing
2. Google may override — Google sometimes generates its own title/snippet if it thinks yours isn't relevant to the query
3. Check noindex — Pages set to noindex won't appear in search at all
4. View source — Search for <title> and <meta name="description"> to confirm tags are present

Duplicate Meta Tags in Source Code

1. Only one SEO plugin — Deactivate Yoast, Rank Math, AIOSEO, or SEOPress if you're using SEObolt
2. Check theme — Some themes add their own meta tags. Check theme settings for an "SEO" or "Meta" toggle.
3. Check header.php — Look for hardcoded <meta> tags in your theme's header template

Social Image Not Displaying

1. Image must be publicly accessible — Not behind a login or CDN authentication
2. Check image URL — Open the image URL directly in your browser
3. Check image dimensions — Must meet minimum size requirements (200x200px)
4. Set a Default OG Image — SEObolt > Settings > Social — this catches posts without featured images

Best Practices

1. Write unique titles and descriptions — Every page should have unique meta tags
2. Set a Default OG Image — Never let a link be shared without an image
3. Use summary_large_image for Twitter — Larger images get more clicks
4. Include keywords naturally — In both title and description
5. Keep titles under 60 characters — Longer titles get truncated
6. Keep descriptions at 150-155 characters — The sweet spot before truncation
7. Use separators consistently — Pick one and stick with it
8. Check with preview tools — Use Facebook Debugger and Twitter Validator before major launches

Related Guides

• Image SEO Guide — Optimize images that appear in OG and Twitter Cards
• Gutenberg Blocks Guide — SEO blocks including FAQ and HowTo schema
• XML Sitemaps Guide — Ensure all your pages are discoverable by search engines
• WooCommerce SEO Guide — Product schema and social sharing for stores