Search engine optimization (SEO) plays a crucial role in helping your membership site get discovered online.
MemberGate has powerful SEO features baked right into the system, giving you multiple levels of control—from global settings to page-specific customizations. Here's how you can take advantage of these features to boost visibility and attract more traffic to your site.
1. Global SEO Setup
The first level of SEO configuration is found under 'Edit Site Descriptions' in the 'Meta' section. This sets the default metadata for your entire site, helping search engines understand what your website is about.
'Edit Site Descriptions' can be found on the right sidebar. Click on the cog icon on the top right of the control panel to open the sidebar then choose Master Settings Edit Site Descriptions
Here's a breakdown of the key fields:
- Meta Keywords: Enter a comma-separated list of relevant keywords that broadly describe your site's content. Think of terms your target audience might use when searching for topics covered on your site.
- Meta Description: Write a brief (150–160 characters) summary of your site's purpose. This should be compelling and informative, as it may appear in search results beneath your site's title.
- RSS Site Title: This title appears in your site's RSS feed and should reflect the name or theme of your site. Keep it clear and concise.
- RSS Site Description: Provide a short explanation of what users can expect in your RSS feed—regular updates, blog posts, tutorials, etc.
These global settings serve as the baseline for SEO if no page-specific customizations are made.
2. Automatically Generated Meta Tags
MemberGate takes the heavy lifting out of SEO by automatically generating meta tags for individual content pages. When you create a new page, the system will use the headline, images, and meta keywords you've included on that page to build SEO metadata behind the scenes. This means your pages are optimized by default without needing manual input, ensuring consistent and relevant information is provided to search engines.
This functionality is perfect for busy content creators who want solid SEO performance with minimal effort.
3. Overriding with Page-Specific Meta Tags
Want more control over how a specific page appears in search results? You can override the global settings by going to the 'Advanced' settings section when editing a page.
To do this:
- Scroll to the 'Advanced' settings section within the content page editor.
- Check the 'Custom Title & Meta Tags' radio button.
- Enter a 'Custom Title' – this replaces the page's headline in search results.
- Include 'Meta Keywords' relevant only to that page's content.
- Add a 'Meta Description' – tailor this to the specific page for better SEO targeting.
This level of customization gives you fine-tuned control for high-priority content or landing pages where keyword optimization and messaging are especially important.
Final Thoughts:
MemberGate's built-in SEO features give you the flexibility to go as broad or as granular as you need. From setting global site-wide metadata to customizing individual content pages, you have the tools to ensure your content is discoverable and appealing to both users and search engines.