What meta tags do and what they don't
Meta tags are small pieces of HTML inside a page's <head> that describe the page to browsers, search engines and social platforms. They are not visible on the page itself. The <title> element sets the label shown in a browser tab and is commonly used as the clickable headline of a search result. The meta description is a short summary that search engines may use as the snippet under that headline.
Two details matter here. First, a search engine is free to rewrite your title and snippet if it thinks another passage fits the query better, so these tags are a suggestion, not an order. Second, the description tag is not a ranking lever. Its value is in helping a person decide to click. A well-written title and description make a result clearer, but they do not guarantee a position.
The remaining tags in this tool belong to sharing. Open Graph tags (the og: ones) are read by social and messaging apps when someone pastes your link, and the twitter: tags do the same for X. Without them, those apps guess at a title and image, often badly.
When you need a full block of tags
The usual case is a new page or a small static site where you are writing the <head> by hand. Rather than remembering thirteen separate tags, you fill in a few fields once and paste the result.
If your site uses a framework that builds these tags from page data, you will usually set the values there instead. The tool is still handy as a reference for what the finished HTML should look like.
How to use the Meta Tag Generator
- Type your Page title and Site name. The title is used for the
<title>tag and for the Open Graph and Twitter titles. - Enter the Description. The same text is used for the description tag and both social descriptions.
- Enter the Page URL. It becomes the canonical link and the
og:urlvalue, so use the full address you want treated as the main version. - Enter the Image URL for the preview image shown when the link is shared. Use an absolute address that starts with https.
- Check the Generated tags box, which updates as you type, then click Copy and paste the block into the
<head>of your page.
You can compare the canonical part with the dedicated Canonical Tag Generator, and preview the search snippet with the SERP Preview Tool.
Limits and things to check before pasting
The output is fixed in shape. It always includes the title, description, canonical link, nine Open Graph and Twitter lines, og:type set to "website", and a Twitter card type of "summary_large_image". There are no fields for robots directives, language, theme color or an article type, so add those yourself if you need them.
The tool inserts your text exactly as typed. It does not escape quotation marks or ampersands, so a double quote inside a title can break the attribute. Use a typographic quote or write " yourself.