Where to find the meta keywords field in WordPress

Meta keywords live in a box below your post or page content editor, but only if your theme or a plugin has added it. WordPress itself does not include a meta keywords field by default — you need to install a plugin first. The most common choice is Yoast SEO, which adds a "Keyphrase" field to every post, page, and custom post type you create.

If you do not see a keywords field when you open a post to edit, you have two options: install Yoast SEO, or check whether your theme developer built one in. Some premium themes include their own SEO fields. Open your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins, and search for "Yoast SEO" to see if it is already installed but inactive. If it is not there at all, click "Add New Plugin" and install it.

Key Takeaways

  • Meta keywords require a plugin like Yoast SEO because WordPress does not include a keywords field in the editor by default.
  • After installing Yoast SEO, you will see a "Keyphrase" field below your post content where you type one main keyword phrase per post.
  • Type a single phrase of two to four words that describes what your post is about, not a list of separate words.
  • Search engines pay little attention to meta keywords now, so focus on writing content that actually matches the words people search for instead.

Installing Yoast SEO and activating the keywords field

Go to your WordPress dashboard and click Plugins on the left sidebar. Click "Add New" at the top. In the search box, type "Yoast SEO" and press Enter. The official Yoast SEO plugin will appear at the top of the results — it has a blue icon and is published by Team Yoast. Click the "Install Now" button.

After installation finishes, the button will change to "set up". Click it. You will be taken to a setup screen. You can skip the setup wizard by clicking "Skip" at the bottom, or walk through it if you want Yoast to guide you through basic settings. Either way, the keywords field will now appear on every post and page you edit.

Adding a keyword phrase to a post or page

Open any post or page to edit it. Scroll down past your content. You will see a box labeled "Yoast SEO" with a green, orange, or red circle next to it. Inside that box is a field that says "Keyphrase". Click in that field and type the main keyword phrase for this post — usually two to four words that describe what the post is about.

For example, if you wrote a post about fixing a leaky kitchen faucet, you might type "fix leaky kitchen faucet" or "kitchen faucet repair". Type only one phrase per post. Do not list separate keywords separated by commas. After you type your phrase, Yoast will analyze your post and show you whether the content matches the keyword well enough. You will see suggestions in the Yoast box below — you can ignore most of them if your post already answers what someone searching for that phrase would want to know.

Why search engines ignore meta keywords now

Meta keywords were important in the 1990s and early 2000s because search engines trusted them to describe a page. Website owners began stuffing keywords into the field — sometimes hundreds of unrelated words — to trick search engines into ranking their pages higher. Google and other search engines stopped trusting meta keywords around 2009 and now ignore them almost entirely.

This does not mean you should skip adding keywords in Yoast. Yoast uses the keyword you enter to analyze whether your actual post content matches what you said it would be about. That analysis helps you write better content, which search engines do care about. The keyword field itself does not help your ranking, but the process of choosing a keyword and checking your content against it does.

The difference between meta keywords and actual ranking factors

Search engines rank pages based on what the content actually says, not on a hidden field. If you write a post about kitchen faucet repair and use the phrase "kitchen faucet repair" naturally throughout your post, search engines will understand what your post is about and may rank it for people searching that phrase. If you type "kitchen faucet repair" in the meta keywords field but your post is actually about something else, the keywords field will not help you rank.

Focus on writing content that genuinely answers the question someone would type into a search box. Use your main keyword phrase a few times naturally in your post title, first paragraph, and headings. Yoast will tell you if you have used it enough. The meta keywords field is a tool to help you stay focused on your topic, not a hidden lever that moves your ranking.

Other plugins that add meta keywords fields

Yoast SEO is the most popular choice, but other plugins also add keyword fields. Rank Math is another full SEO plugin with a keywords feature. All in One SEO includes a keywords field as well. If your theme came with its own SEO settings, check your theme documentation to see where the keywords field is located — it might be in a separate "SEO" tab on the post editor instead of below the content.

Whichever plugin you choose, the process is the same: install it, set up it, and type your main keyword phrase in the field it provides. Do not install multiple SEO plugins at once — they will conflict with each other and slow down your site. Pick one and stick with it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do meta keywords actually help my ranking?

No. Google and other major search engines stopped using meta keywords for ranking around 2009. They focus on what your content actually says instead. Adding keywords in Yoast helps you write better content by keeping you focused on your topic, but the keywords field itself does not boost your ranking.

Can I use multiple keywords or phrases in the meta keywords field?

Yoast asks for one main keyword phrase per post. You can type a phrase of two to four words, but do not list separate keywords separated by commas. If you want to rank for multiple related phrases, write separate posts for each one. That approach works better than trying to rank one post for many keywords at once.

What if I do not see the Yoast SEO box after installing the plugin?

Make sure you clicked "set up" after installing it. If you did, try refreshing the page. If the box still does not appear, check that you are editing a post or page, not a different post type. Some custom post types may need to be enabled in Yoast settings. Go to Yoast SEO in your dashboard sidebar and click "Settings" to see which post types have the keywords field turned on.

Should I add keywords to old posts I wrote before installing Yoast?

Only if you plan to update the post with new content. Adding a keyword to an old post without changing the content will not help. If you are rewriting or expanding an old post, add a keyword phrase that matches what you are writing about, and Yoast will help you make sure the new content matches that phrase well.