---
title: "Meta Title & Description Templates"
url: https://nexterwp.com/docs/meta-title-and-description-templates/
date: 2026-07-17
modified: 2026-07-17
author: "Aditya Sharma"
description: "The Meta Template screen sets the site-wide default title and meta description for your content using dynamic variables, so every post and page gets a consistent, search-ready snippet without you..."
word_count: 631
---

# Meta Title & Description Templates

The Meta Template screen sets the site-wide default title and meta description for your content using dynamic variables, so every post and page gets a consistent, search-ready snippet without you writing one by hand. A live search-result preview shows exactly how the result will read on Google before you save.

Nexter → Content SEO → On-Page → Meta Template.

 

## How To Set Up Meta Title & Description Templates?

- Open the **Search Engine Title** field and build your title from dynamic variable chips. Out of the box you will see chips like **Post Title** and **Site Name**. Each chip is removable, and you can type plain text between chips (for example a separator such as `-` or `|`).

- Build the **Search Description Template** the same way. A common starting point is the **Post Excerpt** chip, which pulls each post's own excerpt.

- Watch the character counters next to each field. The title counter targets **/60** characters and the description counter targets **/160**. Staying inside these limits keeps your snippet from being cut off in search results.

- Check the **Search Result Preview** at the bottom. It renders a Google-style snippet with the page URL breadcrumb, the blue title, and the description, plus color-coded counters (Title N/60, Description N/160) so you can see at a glance whether you are within range.

- Click **Save** at the top right.

![Nexter SEO Meta Template screen showing title and description templates with variable chips and a live SERP preview](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/nseo-03-meta-template.gif)

| Setting | What it does |
| ------- | ------------ |
| Search Engine Title | The default `<title>` template applied across your content. Built from variable chips (for example Post Title, Site Name) plus any literal text you add. Counter targets /60. |
| Search Description Template | The default meta description template. Built from variable chips such as Post Excerpt. Counter targets /160. |
| Search Result Preview | Live Google-style snippet (URL breadcrumb, title, description) with color-coded /60 and /160 counters that update as you type. |
| Save | Stores the templates and applies them site-wide. |

 

### Working With Variables

The chips you insert are dynamic variables (tokens) drawn from Nexter SEO's `@` token library. Type `@` inside a template field to open the picker and browse the full set. This is the same picker used in Schema, and it carries 80+ tokens grouped by source, including Post, Author, Site, Term, and WooCommerce product variables.

The three you will reach for most on this screen:

- **Post Title** — the individual post or page title.

- **Site Name** — your site title, useful as a suffix (for example `Post Title - Site Name`).

- **Post Excerpt** — the post's own excerpt, ideal for the description template.

For the complete token list and what each one outputs, see the Schema variables reference.

 

#### Good To Know

- Templates are defaults. A per-post title or description set elsewhere will take precedence over the template for that specific post.

- Keep the title comfortably under 60 characters and the description under 160 so search engines show the full snippet instead of truncating it with an ellipsis.

- Adding **Site Name** to the title helps brand recognition, but on long post titles it can push you past 60 characters. Watch the counter.

- The preview reflects your template with sample content, so treat the counters as a guide for typical posts, not an exact per-post measurement.

 

#### Troubleshooting

- **My snippet is cut off in Google.** Your title or description is over the limit. Trim literal text or drop a variable until both counters sit inside /60 and /160.

- **A post shows the wrong title.** A post-level override is in place for that post. Templates only fill in where no manual title or description has been set.

- **The `@` picker does not open.** Click directly inside the template field first, then type `@`. The picker is field-scoped.

**Related:** [Social / Open Graph Sharing](/docs/social-open-graph-sharing/) · [Homepage SEO](/docs/homepage-seo/) · [Supported Schema Types & Fields](/docs/schema-types-and-variables-reference/)

 

[Explore Nexter Extension](https://nexterwp.com/nexter-extension/)

 

This is how you can set up meta title and description templates with Nexter SEO.