WordPress plugin intelligence profile

Head Meta Data

Adds a custom set of <meta> tags to the <head> section of all posts & pages.

WP PlugIndex snapshot

Current directory snapshot

Tested up to WordPress 7.1
Current version20260810
WordPress coverageTested up to WordPress 7.1
Minimum stackWP 4.7 · PHP 5.6.20
Directory statusactive
Last directory update10 Aug 20262mo ago
Active installations10K+Adoption metric — not a quality score
WordPress.org rating4.8 / 5 from 19 ratings
Official packageDirect from WordPress.org

Repository metrics are context, not quality scores. Active installations measure adoption and can strongly reflect a plugin’s age and historical popularity. Ratings, recent updates and “Tested up to” metadata also do not guarantee modern code, error-free operation, security, feature completeness or suitability for a particular site. Why active installs don’t tell the whole story →

WP PlugIndex currently records Head Meta Data version 20260810 as active, updated 2mo ago and tested up to WordPress 7.1.

Overview

About this plugin

>

✨ Add meta tags to your site

✨ Blazing fast performance

✨ Uses only 60KB of code!

Head Meta Data (HMD) improves the definition and semantic quality of your website by adding <meta> tags to the <head> section of your web pages. Super lightweight, fast, and user-friendly.

🤖 Default Meta Tags

Customize the perfect set of meta tags for your site. For example:

<head>

<meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="abstract" content="Obsessive Web Development"> <meta name="author" content="Jeff Starr (aka Perishable)"> <meta name="classification" content="Website Development"> <meta name="copyright" content="Copyright Perishable Press"> <meta name="description" content="Web Development Tutorials"> <meta name="designer" content="Jeff Starr @ Monzilla Media"> <meta name="distribution" content="Global"> <meta name="keywords" content="Web, WordPress, Tutorials"> <meta name="language" content="en"> <meta name="publisher" content="Perishable Press"> <meta name="rating" content="General"> <meta name="resource-type" content="Document"> <meta name="revisit-after" content="3"> <meta name="subject" content="Web Dev + WordPress + Security"> <meta name="template" content="shapeSpace WordPress Theme"> <meta name="robots" content="index,follow">

-- plus you can add your own custom tags! -->

</head>

🤖 Dynamic Meta Tags

Use shortcodes to dynamically output SEO meta tags:

<title>[hmd_post_title] | My Awesome Website</title> <meta name="description" content="[hmd_post_excerpt]">

This outputs dynamic titles and descriptions, useful for SEO. You also can add unique meta tags and markup on specific posts and pages. Check out the Installation tab for more information.

>

✨ Help bots understand your content better

🤖 Features

  • Simple and easy to use
  • Clean, standards-based code
  • Customize all <meta> tags
  • Add your own custom <meta> tags
  • Add custom meta tags on any post or page
  • Supports X (Twitter) Cards and Facebook Open Graph tags
  • Supports <meta>, <link>, <base>, <title>, and <style>
  • Automatically adds tags to the <head> section of all pages
  • Check out a Live Preview of your meta tags and custom tags
  • Auto-populates tags using your site’s information
  • Use shortcodes to include dynamic information
  • Easily disable any unwanted tags
  • Lightweight, fast, and secure

>

✨ Check out Head Meta Pro to define tags for each page view

🤖 Shortcodes

Shortcodes enable you to include dynamic bits of information in your meta tags. Head Meta Data provides the following shortcodes:

[hmd_post_excerpt] Outputs post excerpt [hmd_post_date] Outputs post date [hmd_post_author] Outputs post author [hmd_post_title] Outputs post title [hmd_post_cats] Outputs post categories [hmd_post_tags] Outputs post tags [hmd_site_tagline] Outputs site tagline [hmd_site_title] Outputs site title [hmd_year] Outputs current year [hmd_tab] Outputs tab space to tag markup

So you can display your own set of custom meta tags exactly as desired. Learn more »

🤖 Pro Features

The Pro version can do everything the free version can do, PLUS:

  • Define meta tags for Custom Post Types
  • Define meta tags for each type of page-view (e.g., home, posts, pages, archive, search)
  • Define tags for Facebook (Open Graph)
  • Define tags for X (Twitter)
  • Define Facebook and X tags for each type of page view
  • 40+ advanced shortcut variables like %POST_AUTHOR% and %ARCHIVE_TYPE%
  • Dedicated “Meta Tags” meta box for posts and pages
  • Add custom meta tags to any post or page-view
  • Add custom script and style to any post or page-view
  • Meta Tags box integrates with SEO plugins
  • Additional meta tags beyond the free version
  • Dedicated setting for image_src link tag
  • Premium support for pro purchases

>

✨ Level up your meta tags with Head Meta Pro »

🤖 Privacy

This plugin does not collect or store any user data. It does not set any cookies, and it does not connect to any third-party locations. Thus, this plugin does not affect user privacy in any way.

Head Meta Data is developed and maintained by Jeff Starr, 15-year WordPress developer and book author.

🤖 Support Development

I develop and maintain this free plugin with love for the WordPress community. To show support, you can make a donation or purchase one of my books:

  • The Tao of WordPress
  • Digging into WordPress

htaccess made easy

  • WordPress Themes In Depth
  • Wizard’s SQL Recipes for WordPress

And/or purchase one of my premium WordPress plugins:

  • BBQ Pro – Blazing fast WordPress firewall
  • Blackhole Pro – Automatically block bad bots
  • Banhammer Pro – Monitor traffic and ban the bad guys
  • GA Google Analytics Pro – Connect WordPress to Google Analytics
  • Head Meta Pro – Ultimate Meta Tags for WordPress
  • REST Pro Tools – Awesome tools for managing the WP REST API
  • Simple Ajax Chat Pro – Unlimited chat rooms
  • USP Pro – Unlimited front-end forms

Links, tweets and likes also appreciated. Thanks! 🙂

WordPress.org metadata

Plugin tags

Topics listed for this plugin in the WordPress.org directory.

  • meta
  • metadata
  • robots
  • seo
Compatibility & maintenance

Compatibility & maintenance

Tested with WP 7.1

Marked as tested with the current WordPress 7.1 release.

Current WordPress releaseWordPress 7.1
WordPress.org Tested up to7.1
Minimum requirementsWordPress 4.7 · PHP 5.6.20
Update activity10 Aug 20262mo ago

“Tested up to” is directory metadata supplied by the plugin author. WP PlugIndex does not turn an older declaration into a claim that the plugin is incompatible.

Changes recorded by WP PlugIndex

Recent tracked changes

No tracked version or compatibility changes have been recorded by WP PlugIndex yet.

Tracking & source

WP PlugIndex tracks public WordPress.org directory metadata and records selected version, compatibility and availability changes as they are detected.

Plugin watchlist

Watch this plugin

Sign in to your WP PlugIndex account or create a free account. Free accounts can watch up to 5 plugins and see what changed.

Watch limit

Watchlist limit reached

You have reached your current active watch limit.