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In today’s SEO-driven world, understanding the inner workings of your WordPress site can give you a significant advantage. If you’ve been searching for how to add meta keywords in WordPress without a plugin, you’re in the right place.

Plugins are helpful, yes—but they aren’t always necessary. Whether you’re trying to reduce bloat, improve speed, or just like more control over your code, this guide will show you how to manually add meta keywords to your WordPress site, without relying on any third-party plugin.

Let’s get into the “how” and “why” of meta keywords—and why they still matter in some cases today.

What Are Meta Keywords, and Do They Still Matter?

Meta keywords are HTML meta tags that allow you to specify the keywords relevant to a particular webpage. In the early 2000s, they played a major role in SEO, but due to abuse (keyword stuffing), Google no longer uses meta keywords as a ranking factor.

However, some search engines (like Yandex, Baidu) and internal site search engines still consider them useful. Also, for personal projects, academic purposes, or practicing SEO hygiene, learning how to add them manually is valuable.

According to Moz, although Google ignores meta keywords, practicing good metadata implementation is part of clean, structured SEO strategy.

How to Add Meta Keywords in WordPress Without Plugin

Ready to roll up your sleeves? Follow these steps to manually add meta keywords to your WordPress site—specifically to the <head> section of your theme’s code.

Step 1: Access Your Theme’s header.php File

Log into your WordPress Dashboard
Navigate to:
Appearance > Theme File Editor
On the right sidebar, find and click header.php
Important: Before making changes, create a backup of your theme or use a child theme to avoid issues after updates.

Step 2: Insert Meta Keywords Code

Inside the <head> section, paste this line of code:

Replace the "your, meta, keywords, go, here" part with actual keywords relevant to your page. For example:

This tells the browser and some search engines what topics are covered on the page.

Step 3: Save and Test

Click “Update File” to save your changes.

To check if your meta keywords have been added:

Visit your homepage
Right-click and select “View Page Source” or press Ctrl + U
Look inside the <head> section for the meta keywords tag

Keep It Clean: Best Practices

While meta keywords may not directly affect Google rankings, they still reflect your site quality and professionalism. Use them carefully:

✅ Keep to 5–10 relevant keywords
✅ Use commas to separate each keyword
✅ Avoid keyword stuffing
✅ Only add page-specific keywords

Also, don’t use outdated SEO tactics. Combine this method with relevant title tags, meta descriptions, and modern on-page SEO techniques for better results.

When Not to Use Plugins

Many WordPress users are moving toward lightweight, optimized sites—especially after Google’s Core Web Vitals update. Unnecessary plugins can slow down performance, affect security, and conflict with each other.

By manually controlling your code, you’re keeping your site lean and efficient. This also gives you a better understanding of how WordPress works under the hood.

Struggling with SEO? how to add a meta tag to your site’s home page wordpress (The Right Way!)

final Thoughts

Adding meta keywords manually to your WordPress site without a plugin may not skyrocket your Google rankings—but it’s a smart practice for cleaner SEO, better control, and improved learning.

Plus, in certain markets and use cases, they’re still relevant.

Want hands-on help with your website SEO or technical setup?
Reach out to our friendly team at Wix Infotech and let’s build something powerful together.

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No Plugins, No Problem: How to Add Meta Keywords in WordPress Without Plugin