Magento Meta Tags Guide: How to Optimize Title & Description (Meta Keywords Are Obsolete in 2026)

• What Are Magento Meta Tags?

• Meta Keywords and Search Engines: The Current State

• Meta Keywords and Magento Internal Search

• Competitor Research via Meta Keywords?

• What Matters Instead: Meta Title & Description

• Editing Meta Tags in Magento 2

• Meta Data SEO Rules in Magento 2

• Structured Data: The Modern Meta Tag Replacement

• FAQs

• Summary

Meta Keywords 2026 = An outdated HTML tag that Google has completely ignored since 2009. No ranking factor, no crawling signal, no SEO impact.

What matters instead: Meta title (50-60 characters), meta description (150-160 characters), structured data

Use meta keywords? Only relevant if you primarily target Baidu (China) or Yandex (Russia). For Google, Bing, Yahoo, and Western markets: skip it entirely.

What Are Magento Meta Tags?

Magento offers three meta tag fields in the admin:

Tag	SEO Relevance 2026	Function
Meta Title	High	Appears in browser tabs and SERPs. Affects click-through rate and rankings.
Meta Description	Medium	Appears below the title in SERPs. Affects click-through rate, not a direct ranking factor.
Meta Keywords	None (Google & Co.)	Google, Bing, Yahoo have completely ignored this tag since 2009/2010. Marginally relevant for Baidu/Yandex.

Why Does the Meta Keywords Field Still Exist?

Legacy. Magento has carried this field since version 1.x. In the early 2000s, search engines used meta keywords for indexing. After massive keyword stuffing abuse, all major search engines dropped support.

Official sources:

• Google Webmaster Blog (2009): Meta keywords are "completely ignored"
• John Mueller (as of 2025): Meta keywords are ignored by Google's crawler, no SEO value
• Bing (2014): "we ignore them"

Meta Keywords and Search Engines: The Current State

Google, Bing, Yahoo (Completely Ignore)

Google officially declared the meta keywords tag dead in 2009. This position has never been reversed through 2026. Bing and Yahoo followed in 2010-2014.

The tag has no effect on:

• Rankings
• Crawling
• Indexing
• Content understanding

Baidu and Yandex (Marginal Support)

Only relevant if you primarily target Baidu (China) or Yandex (Russia). There, meta keywords still play a small role as an on-page signal. For Google, Bing, Yahoo, and all Western markets: ignore completely.

If you serve the Chinese or Russian market, meta keywords may help minimally. For all other markets: save your time.

Meta Keywords and Magento Internal Search

Common misconception: "Magento uses meta keywords for internal product search."

Fact: In modern Magento 2 shops (2.3/2.4+ with Elasticsearch/OpenSearch), meta keywords do not flow into the internal catalog search.

The search primarily uses:

• Product Name
• Description
• Short Description
• SKU
• Attributes with "Use in Search" enabled

Meta keywords are neither indexed nor considered. The old MySQL-based Catalog Search (before Magento 2.3) used them partially, but this search variant has been deprecated since 2020.

Competitor Research via Meta Keywords?

Since almost all professional shops leave the tag empty or ignore it in 2026, meta keywords from competitors rarely provide useful insights anymore.

Serious websites skip meta keywords. Overstuffed tags are even considered a potential spam signal.

Better alternatives for keyword research:

• Ahrefs, Semrush, Sistrix for keyword data
• Google Search Console for your own rankings
• SERP analysis for competitor keywords

What Matters Instead: Meta Title & Description

Meta Title Optimization

The meta title is the most important meta tag. It appears:

• In browser tabs
• In search results (SERPs)
• When sharing on social media

Best practices 2026:

• Length: 50-60 characters (about 580-600 pixels on desktop, up to ~650 pixels on mobile)
• Primary keyword at the beginning
• Unique for each page
• No duplicates across pages

Meta Description Optimization

The meta description appears below the title in search results. Google does not use it directly for ranking, but it affects click-through rate.

Best practices 2026:

• Length: 150-160 characters (up to ~920 pixels; Google displays dynamically, often ~158 characters on average)
• Call-to-action included
• Primary keyword integrated naturally
• Unique for each page

Editing Meta Tags in Magento 2

For Products

Step 1: Open the Product Edit Page

1. Log in to your Magento 2 admin panel
2. Go to Catalog > Products and select the product

Step 2: Search Engine Optimization Section

Scroll to the Search Engine Optimization section.

Step 3: Enter Meta Tags

1. Fill in Meta Title (50-60 characters)
2. Fill in Meta Description (150-160 characters)
3. Meta Keywords can be left empty

Step 4: Save

Click Save.

For Categories

1. Go to Catalog > Categories
2. Select the category
3. Scroll to the Search Engine Optimization section
4. Fill in Meta Title and Meta Description
5. Click Save

For CMS Pages

1. Go to Content > Pages
2. Select the CMS page
3. Scroll to the Meta Data section
4. Fill in Meta Title and Meta Description
5. Click Save Page

Meta Data SEO Rules in Magento 2

Magento offers metadata rules for automated meta tag generation.

General SEO Rules

Enable H1 Heading for products and category pages.

Custom Metadata Rules

Create rules for:

• Product Pages
• Category Pages
• CMS Pages
• Layered Navigation

Use variables for dynamic metadata:

• [Product Name]
• [Category Name]
• [Price]

Meta Title Template

Example: [Product Name] | [Category] | Shop Name

Meta Description Template

Example: Buy [Product Name] for [Price]. Free shipping on orders over $50.

Preview

Use preview tools to see how meta tags appear in SERPs.

Structured Data: The Modern Meta Tag Replacement

Instead of meta keywords, modern shops use structured data (Schema.org).

Relevant schema types for Magento:

• Product (price, availability, reviews)
• BreadcrumbList (navigation)
• Organization (company info)
• FAQPage (FAQ sections)

Structured data helps search engines understand content. Meta keywords do not.

FAQs

1. Are meta keywords still relevant for SEO in 2026?

No. Google has completely ignored meta keywords since 2009. Bing and Yahoo do the same. The tag has no effect on rankings, crawling, or indexing. Only Baidu and Yandex still use it marginally.

2. Should I fill in the meta keywords field in Magento?

Only if you primarily target Baidu (China) or Yandex (Russia). For all Western markets: save time and leave it empty. Focus on meta title and description instead.

3. Does Magento use meta keywords for internal search?

No. Modern Magento 2 shops (2.3/2.4+) use Elasticsearch or OpenSearch. These search engines do not index meta keywords. The search uses product name, description, SKU, and attributes.

4. How long should the meta title be?

50-60 characters (about 580-600 pixels on desktop). Google renders dynamically depending on device. Place the primary keyword at the beginning.

5. How long should the meta description be?

150-160 characters (up to ~920 pixels). Google displays dynamically, averaging ~158 characters. Include a call-to-action and the primary keyword.

6. What is the difference between meta tags and structured data?

Meta tags (title, description) appear in SERPs and influence click-through rates. Structured data (Schema.org) helps search engines understand content and enables rich snippets.

7. Can I use meta keywords for competitor research?

Not really. Most professional shops leave the field empty in 2026. Use Ahrefs, Semrush, or Google Search Console for keyword research instead.

Summary

Meta keywords are irrelevant for SEO in 2026. Google, Bing, and Yahoo have ignored the tag for over 15 years. Only Baidu and Yandex still consider it marginally.

Focus on these instead:

1. Meta Title (50-60 characters, ~600 pixels) - most important meta tag for rankings and CTR
2. Meta Description (150-160 characters, ~920 pixels) - affects click-through rate in SERPs
3. Structured Data - helps search engines understand content

You can leave the meta keywords field in Magento empty, unless you primarily target Baidu or Yandex.