Joomla provides multiple areas to enter SEO metadata. However, they are not all equal! Here is how to set your metadata in Joomla sites.
In Joomla, there are three levels at which you can set meta descriptions and keywords:
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Globally, in Global Configuration>Site Tab
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At the menu level (menu item>metadata tab)
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At the article level (article>publishing tab)
Global Level: Do not use
Do NOT set any Metadata at the Global (Global Configuration>Site Tab) level. This causes every page on the site to have the same metadata, which will damage the site's SEO performance.
Article Level: Best Place for Metadata
The ideal place to set metadata is at the Article level. This ensures a site filled with varied, rich metadata references.
Menu Level: Use Sparingly
If you set metadata at the Menu level, it will overwrite any metadata set at the article level for articles attached to that menu.
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If there is (and only ever will be) one article associated with a menu item, then this can be an acceptable choice.
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If there are very few articles associated with a menu and all would use the exact same metadata, then this can be an acceptable choice.
But it is more beneficial to set metadata at the article level to ensure ongoing SEO performance.
How to Enter Metadata
Find Your Keywords
Keyword research helps you find the search terms that A) people enter into search engines when searching for something, and B) apply best to your website and area of expertise.
Keyword research is very important, because it helps you refine your targeting to the most qualified potential leads. Keyword research is helpful both after you write content, to make sure your content can be found, and before you write content, to help you decide what to write.
This article is not about the ins-and-outs of keyword research ... we just want to make sure you do your research as part of setting up your metadata.
To do your research you can use any number of tools (just search for "best keyword research tools and you will find dozens). Some of the tools we like are SEMrush, SEO Powersuite, KWFinder, Ahrefs Keyword Explorer, Google Keyword Planner, Long Tail Pro, Serpstat, and Keyword Tool.
Site Meta Description
Set for 155-160 characters. This is the optimal range to display the entire description without cutting off the end, while being long enough to signal to Google that there is significant content therein.
Site Meta Keywords
Include all relevant keywords (which are almost always "key phrases" now) related specifically to that article (or menu, if you have decided to go the menu route).
Do not use ANY keywords that are not specifically addressed in the content. Irrelevant keywords are considered to be misleading by Google and will hurt SEO.
Keep it Unique!
Write every Site Meta Description and Site Meta Keyword entry individually. Duplicate meta content is looked down on by Google and will hurt SEO.