This is important because search engines such as Google want you to include your brand name or business name in your SEO titles and distinguish this from your page title or post title with a separator.

Below is an example of how this looks in Google search results:

Notice how the Microsoft Office result uses a vertical line ( | ) as the separator and the Wikipedia result uses a dash or hyphen ( – ) as the separator.

To set which character is used for your site, go to Search Appearance in the All in One SEO menu.

You’ll see the Title Separator settings. Here you can click on one of the available characters to choose it.

The character you choose will be shown in the Preview so you can see how this will look in search results.

You can also enter an HTML character code in the Custom HTML entity field to set your own custom separator character.

Congratulations! You’ve now set a separator character which will be used throughout the plugin wherever you see the word “Separator“.

If you are, then this article will help you with easy-to-follow steps for the following:

Tutorial Video

Checking Your Home Page Display Settings

Before we begin, you’ll need to know if your homepage is set to display your latest posts or a static page.

You can check this by going to Settings » Reading on your site and checking the Your homepage displays setting.

Setting the SEO When Your Homepage Displays Your Latest Posts

To set the SEO when your homepage displays your latest posts, click on Search Appearance in the All in One SEO menu.

You should see the Home Page Settings section where you’ll see the Preview, Home Title, and Meta Description.

The Preview shows how your homepage may look in search results based on the Home Title and Meta Description you set.

To set the SEO title for your homepage, click on one of our smart tags shown above the Home Title field.

You can also type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the Home Title field or combine text with the smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Now we can set the SEO description for your homepage.

The Meta Description field works in the same way as the Home Title field. You can select from one of the smart tags displayed above the field, or type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the field or combine text with smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

If you have enabled Meta Keywords for the Russian search engine Yandex, you’ll see a Keywords field where you can enter your meta keywords.

That’s all! You’ve now set the SEO meta for your homepage.

Setting the SEO When Your Homepage Displays a Static Page

To set the SEO when your homepage displays a static page, edit your home page and scroll down to the AIOSEO Settings section.

Here you’ll see the SERP Preview, Page Title and Meta Description.

The SERP Preview shows how your homepage may look in search results based on the Page Title and Meta Description you set. There are icons in the top right corner to view how the search results may look on desktop or mobile.

To set the SEO title for your homepage, click on one of our smart tags shown above the Page Title field.

You can also type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the Page Title field or combine text with the smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Now we can set the SEO description for your homepage.

The Meta Description field works in the same way as the Page Title field. You can select from one of the smart tags displayed above the field, or type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the field or combine text with smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

If you have enabled Meta Keywords for the Russian search engine Yandex, click on the Advanced tab and you’ll see a Keywords field where you can enter your meta keywords.

That’s all! You’ve now set the SEO meta for your homepage.

This can be a huge timesaver if you have lots of pages.

Here we’ll help you with easy-to-follow steps to automatically generate SEO titles and descriptions based on formats you can create.

Tutorial Video

Controlling SEO for Pages

To get started, click on Search Appearance in the All in One SEO menu and then click on the Content Types tab.

Scroll down and you should see a section for Pages where you’ll see the Preview, Page Title and Meta Description.

The Preview shows an example of how your pages may look in search results based on the Page Title and Meta Description formats you set.

Setting the Page SEO Title Format

To set the SEO title format that will be used to automatically generate SEO titles for your pages, click on one of our smart tags shown above the Page Title field.

You can also type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the Page Title field or combine text with the smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Page Title will apply to all your pages. However, you can override this in the Edit Page screen where you’ll see a Page Title field in the AIOSEO Settings section.

Setting the Page SEO Description Format

You can set the SEO description format that will be used to automatically generate SEO descriptions for your pages by using the Meta Description field.

This field works in the same way as the Page Title field. You can select from one of the smart tags displayed above the field, or type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the field or combine text with smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Meta Description will apply to all your pages. However, you can override this in the Edit Page screen where you’ll see a Meta Description field in the AIOSEO Settings section.

That’s all! You’ve now set the SEO title and description formats for your pages.

This can be a huge timesaver if you have lots of posts.

Here we’ll help you with easy-to-follow steps to automatically generate SEO titles and descriptions based on formats you can create.

Tutorial Video

Controlling SEO for Posts

To get started, click on Search Appearance in the All in One SEO menu and then click on the Content Types tab.

You should now see a section for Posts where you’ll see the Preview, Post Title and Meta Description.

The Preview shows an example of how your posts may look in search results based on the Post Title and Meta Description formats you set.

Setting the Post SEO Title Format

To set the SEO title format that will be used to automatically generate SEO titles for your posts, click on one of our smart tags shown above the Post Title field.

You can also type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the Post Title field or combine text with the smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Post Title will apply to all your posts. However, you can override this in the Edit Post screen where you’ll see a Post Title field in the AIOSEO Settings section.

Setting the Post SEO Description Format

You can set the SEO description format that will be used to automatically generate SEO descriptions for your posts by using the Meta Description field.

This field works in the same way as the Post Title field. You can select from one of the smart tags displayed above the field, or type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the field or combine text with smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Meta Description will apply to all your posts. However, you can override this in the Edit Post screen where you’ll see a Meta Description field in the AIOSEO Settings section.

That’s all! You’ve now set the SEO title and description formats for your posts.

For example, if you have a WooCommerce store then this can be a huge timesaver if you have lots of products.

Custom post types are content other than the standard Posts and Pages found in WordPress. They are usually added using a plugin or your theme.

Here we’ll help you with easy-to-follow steps to automatically generate SEO titles and descriptions based on formats you can create.

Tutorial Video

Controlling SEO for Custom Post Types

To get started, click on Search Appearance in the All in One SEO menu and then click on the Content Types tab.

Scroll down and you should see sections for each of your post types. For example, for WooCommerce Products there will be a section for Products where you’ll see the Preview, Product Title, and Meta Description.

The Preview shows an example of how your content may look in search results based on the Title and Meta Description formats you set.

Setting the SEO Title Format

To set the SEO title format that will be used to automatically generate SEO titles for your content, click on one of our smart tags shown above the Title field.

You can also type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the Title field or combine text with the smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Title will apply to all your content in that post type. However, you can override this in the Edit Post screen for your custom post type where you’ll see a Title field in the AIOSEO Settings section.

Setting the SEO Description Format

You can set the SEO description format that will be used to automatically generate SEO descriptions for your content by using the Meta Description field.

This field works in the same way as the Title field. You can select from one of the smart tags displayed above the field, or type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the field or combine text with smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Meta Description will apply to all your content in that post type. However, you can override this in the Edit Post screen for your custom post type where you’ll see a Meta Description field in the AIOSEO Settings section.

That’s all! You’ve now set the SEO title and description formats for your custom post type content.

This can be a huge timesaver if you have lots of categories.

This article will help you with easy-to-follow steps to automatically generate SEO titles and descriptions based on formats you can create.

Tutorial Video

Check out our video on how to set the SEO title and description format for categories below:

Controlling SEO for Categories

To get started, click on Search Appearance in the All in One SEO menu and then click on the Taxonomies tab.

You should see a section for Categories where you’ll see the Preview, Category Title, and Meta Description.

The Preview shows an example of how your categories may look in search results based on the Category Title and Meta Description formats you set.

Setting the Category SEO Title Format

To set the SEO title format that will be used to automatically generate SEO titles for your categories, click on one of our smart tags shown above the Category Title field.

You can also type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the Category Title field or combine text with the smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Category Title will apply to all your categories. However, you can override this in the Edit Category screen where you’ll see a Category Title field in the AIOSEO Settings section. This feature is available in All in One SEO Pro only

Setting the Category SEO Description Format

You can set the SEO description format that will be used to automatically generate SEO descriptions for your categories by using the Meta Description field.

This field works in the same way as the Category Title field. You can select from one of the smart tags displayed above the field, or type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the field or combine text with smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Meta Description will apply to all your categories. However, you can override this in the Edit Category screen where you’ll see a Meta Description field in the AIOSEO Settings section. This feature is available in All in One SEO Pro only

That’s all! You’ve now set the SEO title and description formats for your categories.

This can be a huge timesaver if you have lots of tags.

Here we’ll help you with easy-to-follow steps to automatically generate SEO titles and descriptions based on formats you can create.

Tutorial Video

Here’s a video on how to set the title and description format for your tags:

Controling SEO for Tags

To get started, click on Search Appearance in the All in One SEO menu and then click on the Taxonomies tab.

Scroll down and you should see a section for Tags where you’ll see the Preview, Tag Title and Meta Description.

The Preview shows an example of how your tags may look in search results based on the Tag Title and Meta Description formats you set.

Setting the Tag SEO Title Format

To set the SEO title format that will be used to automatically generate SEO titles for your tags, click on one of our smart tags shown above the Tag Title field.

You can also type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the Tag Title field or combine text with the smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Tag Title will apply to all your tags. However, you can override this in the Edit Tag screen where you’ll see a Tag Title field in the AIOSEO Settings section. This feature is available in All in One SEO Pro only

Setting the Tag SEO Description Format

You can set the SEO description format that will be used to automatically generate SEO descriptions for your tags by using the Meta Description field.

This field works in the same way as the Tag Title field. You can select from one of the smart tags displayed above the field, or type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the field or combine text with smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Meta Description will apply to all your tags. However, you can override this in the Edit Tag screen where you’ll see a Meta Description field in the AIOSEO Settings section. This feature is available in All in One SEO Pro only.

That’s all! You’ve now set the SEO title and description formats for your tags.

For example, if you have a WooCommerce store then this can be a huge timesaver if you have lots of product categories.

Custom taxonomies relate to custom content other than the standard Posts and Pages found in WordPress. They are usually added using a plugin or your theme.

This article will help you with easy-to-follow steps to automatically generate SEO titles and descriptions based on formats you can create.

Tutorial Video

Check out our video on how to set the title and description format for custom taxonomies here:

Controlling SEO for Custom Taxonomies

To get started, click on Search Appearance in the All in One SEO menu and then click on the Taxonomies tab.

Scroll down and you should see sections for each of your taxonomies. For example, for WooCommerce there will be a section for Product Categories where you’ll see the Preview, Category Title and Meta Description.

The Preview shows an example of how your content may look in search results based on the Title and Meta Description formats you set.

Setting the SEO Title Format

To set the SEO title format that will be used to automatically generate SEO titles for your content, click on one of our smart tags shown above the Title field.

You can also type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the Title field or combine text with the smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Title will apply to all your terms in that taxonomy. However, you can override this in the Edit Term screen where you’ll see a Title field in the AIOSEO Settings section. This feature is available in All in One SEO Pro only

Setting the SEO Description Format

You can set the SEO description format that will be used to automatically generate SEO descriptions for your content by using the Meta Description field.

This field works in the same way as the Title field. You can select from one of the smart tags displayed above the field, or type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the field or combine text with smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Meta Description will apply to all your terms in that taxonomy. However, you can override this in the Edit Term screen where you’ll see a Meta Description field in the AIOSEO Settings section. This feature is available in All in One SEO Pro only

That’s all! You’ve now set the SEO title and description formats for your custom taxonomies.

In this article we’ll discuss the Redirect Attachment URLs setting in All in One SEO.

Tutorial Video

What Are Media Attachments

Media Attachment pages are a special type of page that WordPress creates whenever you upload an image to the Media Library.

You can learn more about Media Attachment pages in our article about them here.

Getting Started

To get started, click on Search Appearance in the All in One SEO menu and then click on the Image SEO tab.

You should see the Redirect Attachment URLs setting with three options described below.

Explaining the Redirecting Attachment URLs Options

You can set the Redirect Attachment URLs setting to Disabled if you want Media Attachments to appear in search results.

You can set the Redirect Attachment URLs setting to Attachment and attachment pages will be redirected to the image itself. This means that whenever someone goes to the URL for an attachment page, they’ll see the image instead of the attachment page. This is our recommendation and the default setting.

You can set the Redirect Attachment URLs setting to Attachment Parent and attachment pages will be redirected to the post or page that the image is attached to. This means that whenever someone goes to the URL for an attachment page, they’ll see the post or page where the image was uploaded to instead of the attachment page.

It’s important to note that if an image is not attached to any post or page, and you select the last option, then when you go to an attachment page you’ll see the attachment page. You can check whether your images are attached to posts or pages by checking the Uploaded to column in the Media Library. If it says (Unattached) then the image isn’t attached to any content.

Media Attachments are special pages that are created for each image you upload to your site, so this can be useful if you have lots of images and use Media Attachments.

For most people, Media Attachments should not be listed in search results because they have no value or relevancy to the terms you want to be listed for. We have an in-depth article about Media Attachments here.

If you are using Media Attachments and want to automatically generate SEO titles and descriptions, then this article will help you with easy-to-follow steps.

Tutorial Video

Setting the SEO for Media Attachments

To get started, click on Search Appearance in the All in One SEO menu and then click on the Media tab.

You should see a setting for Redirect Attachment URLs to the Attachment Itself. Set this to Disabled if you want Media Attachments to appear in search results. You can read more about this setting here.

You should now see the Preview, Media Title and Meta Description settings.

The Preview shows an example of how your Media Attachments may look in search results based on the Media Title and Meta Description formats you set.

Setting the Media Attachment SEO Title Format

To set the SEO title format that will be used to automatically generate SEO titles for your Media Attachments, click on one of our smart tags shown above the Media Title field.

You can also type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the Media Title field or combine text with the smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Media Title will apply to all your Media Attachments. However, you can override this in the Edit Media screen where you’ll see a Media Title field in the AIOSEO Settings section.

Setting the Media Attachment SEO Description Format

You can set the SEO description format that will be used to automatically generate SEO descriptions for your pages by using the Meta Description field.

This field works in the same way as the Media Title field. You can select from one of the smart tags displayed above the field, or type the hash character ( # ) in the field to display a list of available tags you can choose from.

You can also enter text in the field or combine text with smart tags and there’s an emoji picker where you can add an emoji.

Whatever you set in the Meta Description will apply to all your Media Attachments. However, you can override this in the Edit Media screen where you’ll see a Meta Description field in the AIOSEO Settings section.

That’s all! You’ve now set the SEO title and description formats for your Media Attachments.