What is Tagline in WordPress and How to Insert It
When installing WordPress, you are required to enter your website title and tagline. Many WP beginners tend to use the defaults in this step because they feel it is not as important.
Contrary to this belief, your site title and tagline are essential because they describe your brand identity. A good WordPress tagline can also help you attract visitors from search engines.
In this guide, we will explain what a tagline is, its importance to your site, and how to insert it in WordPress.
Content:
- What is a Tagline in WordPress?
- Why is the WordPress tagline is Important?
- How to Set a WordPress Tagline
- Writing a Good WordPress Tagline
- Conclusion
What is a Site Tagline in WordPress?
WordPress taglines are phrases used to describe your website. This is similar to reading the short description of a book or movie and getting an idea of what it’s all about. It is a short text that gives visitors insight into what your WordPress site is about.
Note that the site title and the tagline are different. A WordPress site title is your website name (for example ‘FixRunner‘). This is what visitors use to search for your website online.
When entering your site title, we recommend using a name that is easy to remember and corresponds with your brand identity and domain name.
A website tagline, on the other hand, describes the purpose of your site and its benefits to users (for example, ‘WordPress Support & Help Services’). With it, visitors know the content to expect from your WordPress website.
The site title and tagline are usually displayed as your homepage title. On your homepage, hover your cursor over the page on your browser’s address bar. You will see a popup showing the title and tagline.
Why is a WordPress Tagline so Important?
Your WordPress title and tagline are the first elements a user sees before they visit your website from an external source. With the tagline, users can see how relevant your website will be to them, before going through your content.
Having a site tagline that relays your brand’s message is also a good marketing strategy. When people search for your site, the site tagline is seen next to the site title. So, having a creative and catchy tagline can grab attention, and draw more visitors to your site.
Additionally, your site’s tagline is an important SEO ranking factor. Using strong keywords related to your website in the tagline will give search engines more information about your site. This, in turn, will increase your rankings on Google search results page.
How to Set a WordPress Tagline
There are two methods available for adding taglines in WordPress. This guide will show you how to edit a tagline using both methods.
Using Default WordPress Options
After installing WordPress on your hosting server, the default tagline is “Just another WordPress Site”. To change the default WordPress tagline, log into your WordPress dashboard. Once there, go to Appearance >> Customize.
Next click on Site Identity.
In the text field under “Tagline”, type in your new site tagline.
If you also want to change your site title, simply type in your website name in the “Site Title” text box.
Hit the Publish button when you’re done to reflect the changes on your site.
Another way you can change the WordPress site’s tagline is through your Settings. For this, head on to Settings >> General in your WP dashboard. In the “Tagline” section, replace the default tagline text with what suits your site.
After that, scroll down and click on Save Changes.
Using an SEO Plugin
SEO plugins are essentially extensions that help you optimize your title, tagline, and other core aspects to rank on search engine directories.
One of the most popular WordPress SEO plugins is the Yoast SEO plugin. This plugin provides you with tools that enable you to optimize your WordPress posts and pages to meet the highest SEO standards.
To get started using this plugin, please check our guide on how to install and use Yoast SEO.
After installing the plugin, go to SEO >> Search Appearance. In the “General” tab, click the arrow on the “Homepage” section to expand it.
As you can see, Yoast gives you more control. You can use variables to define how you want your homepage SEO title to look. Simply click Insert Variable and select the predefined variables you want to see.
Otherwise, you can manually type in your SEO title in the text field provided.
Finally, click the Save Changes button.
Note: The SEO title is a bit different from the tagline. It allows you to add multiple items (including the tagline) to the texts that appear on your title bar, and search pages.
This could be the Site Title, Separator, and Tagline, such that your SEO title would look like “FixRunner – WordPress Help and Support”.
Writing a Good WordPress Tagline
Like a preview of a good movie, your site’s tagline should make visitors want to go through your website. In addition, it should be SEO-friendly. To help you create this, we have provided tips to enable you to write a good WordPress tagline.
Keep your Tagline Short
This is the first step to creating a good tagline. Keep it short and simple. Google search results display no more than 50-60 characters long, so you need to be brief but comprehensive. The tagline should tell users what your site is about.
Avoid Repetition
Your site title and tagline describe the goal of your site. The tagline complements the title by providing more information about your website. In other words, the tagline should be different from the title. Do not use the same words you used in the site title for the tagline.
Be Unique
With so many WordPress bloggers and business owners out there, you need to make your brand stand out. Take your time to research and study your competitors, and then create a unique phrase that is not only different from theirs but expresses your brand as well.
Use keywords
This cannot be overemphasized. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) helps you get organic traffic to your website. So when creating a tagline, ensure you include your main keywords in it. You can use a keyword research tool to see the keywords that match your title/brand.
Conclusion
Site taglines are very important for your website. You can have a strong title, but without a good tagline, visitors may not be motivated to open your site. Surely, you do not want this to happen.
In this WordPress tutorial, we have explained how important a site tagline is and how to insert it into your website. When optimized properly, it can generate organic traffic to your WordPress site.
For more tips on how to grow your website, please check this guide to learn other ways to get traffic to your site.
