--- title: "Set the Description of WordPress with Open Graph" description: "When a visitor shares a Page from your website to Facebook, there are particular details that Facebook looks for to generate a post containing a preview of your content. These details, also known as..." url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/wordpress/set-description-of-wordpress-with-open-graph/ date: 2018-04-09 modified: 2021-11-19 author: "InMotion Hosting Contributor" categories: ["WordPress Hosting", "WordPress Tutorials"] type: post lang: en --- # Set the Description of WordPress with Open Graph When a visitor shares a Page from your website to Facebook, there are particular details that Facebook looks for to generate a post containing a preview of your content. These details, also known as **Open Graph Markup**, can be modified using the **Open Graph for Facebook, Google+ and Twitter Card Tags** plugin for WordPress. With this plugin you can customize the *Open Graph Metadata* using the Page/Post Editor interface. In this guide, you can learn how to use this plugin, allowing you to easily **customize the description of a Page when shared on Facebook**. **WARNING:** The instructions in this guide require that you have installed the **Open Graph for Facebook, Google+ and Twitter Card Tags** *By Webdados* plugin. If you have not installed the plugin yet, you can follow the instructions in our guide, “[How to Install Open Graph for Facebook, Google+ and Twitter Card Tags](/support/edu/wordpress/install-open-graph-facebook-twitter-plugin/)“. Once you have installed the plugin, you will be able to follow the instructions below. ## Add a Description When Facebook generates a preview of your Page content, it is searching for the *Metadata Markup*, including “**og:description**“. Facebook will load the description found in that variable for the post that will be made once shared. If the *og:description* tag does not exist, Facebook will load an excerpt from the content. This variable is provided, based on priority, according to your *Open Graph for Facebook Settings*. In the following section, you can learn the various methods for how to **customize the description that is loaded when your Page is shared on Facebook**. ### Default Description for Your Website If you want the *same description to load for all your Pages*, you can set a *default description* in the **Open Graph for Facebook Settings**. Simply follow the instructions below. 1. [Log into your WordPress Administrative Dashboard](/support/edu/wordpress/logging-into-wordpress-dashboard/#how_to_login). 2. Hover over *Settings* and click on **Open Graph for Facebook, Google+ and Twitter Card Tags**. 3. From the *General* tab, scroll to the **Description settings** section. Click on the drop-down next to *Default description* and select **Custom Text**. 4. A text field will appear where you may enter a custom text to be displayed by default. For example: “Check out this interesting website. This particular link is great!” 5. Click the **Save Changes** button at the bottom of the page. ### Page Editor Open Graph for Facebook Field In the *Open Graph for Facebook Settings*, the default description will be used on a Page if no description is provided. Since a unique description may not be desired for every Page you make, setting a default –to fall back on– ensures that there is always a description associated with your website content, when it is shared to Facebook. In this section, you can learn how to set the *description of a specific Page* using the Page Editor. **IMPORTANT:** It may be necessary to adjust the *Screen Options* for the necessary Page Editor fields to appear. Click on the button labeled *Adjust Screen Options* (below) to expand and follow the steps in that section to learn how to adjust the Page Editor view to include *Open Graph for Facebook* fields. Adjust Screen Options #### Adjust Screen Options 1. [Log into your WordPress Administrative Dashboard](/support/edu/wordpress/logging-into-wordpress-dashboard/#how_to_login). 2. Hover over the **Pages** menu option, then click on **All Pages**. 3. Click on any Page title to navigate to the editor. 4. In the upper-right, click on the **Screen Options**. **NOTICE:** Once clicked, the screen will display a few settings at the top of the editor. 5. Review the *Boxes* section for the following field: Open Graph for Facebook, Google+ and Twitter Card Tags **NOTICE: **If the item has a check mark in the check box, then it is enabled. However, if it does not have a check mark, click on the check box to enable it. 6. Click the *Screen Options* button to collapse the menu. With this field enabled, you will now have the ability to add the *Open Graph Markup*, through the interface you use to create/edit your Pages in WordPress. 1. [Log into your WordPress Administrative Dashboard](/support/edu/wordpress/logging-into-wordpress-dashboard/#how_to_login). 2. Hover over *Pages* then click on **All Pages**. 3. Click on the *Page Title* that you would like to set an alternative description for. 4. Once the Page Editor loads, scroll down to locate the **Open Graph for Facebook, Google+ and Twitter Card Tags** section. In the **Use this description:** field, enter a description of the content to use for this particular page. 5. Scroll up and click the **Update** button to save your changes. Now that you are familiar with **how to modify the description used by Facebook when sharing a Page of your website**, you may want to [adjust the image that Facebook uses](/support/edu/wordpress/how-to-set-the-image-of-your-wordpress-page-content-when-sharing-to-facebook/) when a visitor shares content from your website.