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Why Google Ignores Your Yoast SEO Meta Titles and Descriptions (And How to Fix It)

31 threads Sep 7, 2025 Plugin → Yoast seo

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If you've ever checked Google search results only to find the wrong title or description for your page, you're not alone. This is one of the most common issues reported by users of the Yoast SEO plugin. The frustration is real: you've configured everything perfectly in the plugin's preview, but Google seems to have a mind of its own.

This article explains why this happens and outlines the most effective steps you can take to resolve it.

Why Does This Happen?

Contrary to what it may seem, this discrepancy is rarely a bug in the Yoast SEO plugin itself. The plugin's primary job is to output the correct meta tags in your site's HTML source code. If you can view your page source (right-click > View Page Source) and see the correct <title> and <meta name="description"> tags, then Yoast SEO is functioning correctly.

Google ultimately decides what text to display in its search results (SERPs). Its algorithm chooses what it believes is the most relevant and helpful text for a user's query, which can sometimes differ from your preferred meta description or a slightly altered version of your title. Common reasons include:

  • Stale Cache: Google has an older version of your page indexed.
  • Relevance: Google's algorithm found text on the page it deemed more relevant to the user's search query.
  • Site-wide Changes: Changes to your site's name or structure may take time to be re-crawled and processed.
  • Structured Data: In some cases, Google may pull information from Schema.org markup.

How to Fix It: A Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Verify the Source Code

First, confirm that Yoast SEO is outputting the correct data. Right-click on your webpage and select "View Page Source." Search (Ctrl+F) for "<title>" and "meta name="description"". If the tags there are correct, the issue lies with Google's index, not the plugin.

Step 2: Use Google Search Console

Google Search Console (GSC) is your most important tool for diagnosing and fixing these issues.

  • Inspect URL: Use the "URL Inspection" tool for the affected page. GSC will show you the last time Google crawled the page and what it saw during that crawl. This can help you confirm if Google is seeing your latest changes.
  • Request Indexing: Within the URL Inspection tool, click "Request Indexing." This asks Google to recrawl and update its index for that specific page. This is the most direct way to push your changes to the SERPs.

Step 3: Configure Your Site Name Correctly

If your website's URL is showing instead of your brand name, you need to configure your site information in two places:

  1. WordPress Settings: Go to Settings > General and ensure your "Site Title" is correct.
  2. Yoast SEO Settings: Go to Yoast SEO > Settings > General > Site Basics. Enter your preferred brand name in the "Website name" field. This will override the default WordPress site name in the structured data that search engines use.

Step 4: Be Patient

After using the URL Inspection tool, it can take from a few days to several weeks for Google to recrawl your site and for changes to be reflected in search results universally. Google's crawling frequency depends on the site's authority and how often content is updated.

When to Look Elsewhere

If the meta tags in your page source are incorrect, then the issue may be a conflict.

  • Theme or Plugin Conflict: Another plugin or your theme might be overwriting the Yoast SEO output. To test for this, temporarily switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four) and disable all other plugins. If the tags are then correct, reactivate your plugins one by one to find the culprit.
  • Recent Theme Changes: As seen in one thread, importing a new theme template can sometimes inject its own demo data into the page source, which may take precedence. Ensure your theme is configured to use dynamic titles from WordPress/Yoast.

By following these steps, you can usually identify the cause of the mismatch and take action to encourage Google to display the titles and descriptions you've worked hard to create.

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