Title and description variables

Variables are placeholders like %title% that RankKit SEO replaces with real values when a page is shown. You use them in title and description templates (RankKit SEO → Settings → General and Settings → Content types) and in the SEO title and meta description of a single page, so one template can produce a good title for thousands of pages.

You can also see the list in the admin: open Available variables under the title fields in Settings → General, or at the bottom of the Taxonomies card in Settings → Content types.

All variables

The examples below assume a site called "Green Kitchen" with the tagline "Simple recipes for busy cooks" and the default separator –.

Variable	Outputs	Example output
%title%	Post or page title. On a category, tag or term archive, the term name; on a post type archive, its plural name; on an author archive, the author's name.	Easy Mango Pickle
%sitename%	Site title (from Settings → General in WordPress)	Green Kitchen
%tagline%	Site tagline	Simple recipes for busy cooks
%sep%	Separator, set under Settings → General → Title separator	–
%excerpt%	The post's excerpt, or the first 155 characters of the content, cut at a word boundary	A sweet, tangy mango pickle you can make in 20 minutes with five pantry spices…
%category%	Primary category of the post (the first category if no primary one is set)	Pickles
%term%	Term name on a category, tag or taxonomy archive	Pickles
%term_description%	Term description, as plain text	Pickle recipes from sweet mango to spicy lime.
%author%	Author's display name	Nadia Rahman
%date%	Publish date, in the date format set in WordPress Settings → General	March 4, 2026
%modified%	Last modified date, in the same format	October 20, 2026
%year%	Current year	2026
%page%	Page number on page 2 and later, e.g. "Page 2 of 4"; empty on the first page	Page 2 of 4
%search%	The search phrase on search result pages	lime pickle
%pt_plural%	Plural name of the post type	Recipes

WooCommerce variables

These appear in the list only when WooCommerce is active, and only output a value on product pages.

Variable	Outputs	Example output
%wc_price%	Product price with currency. For a variable product, the lowest price.	$12.50
%wc_sku%	Product SKU	MP-500
%wc_brand%	Product brand, from a brand taxonomy or brand attribute	Green Kitchen
%wc_short_desc%	Product short description, as plain text	Hand-cut mango in mustard oil, 500 g jar.

More product SEO options: WooCommerce SEO.

Examples

Template	Result
%title% %sep% %sitename%	Easy Mango Pickle – Green Kitchen
%sitename% %sep% %tagline%	Green Kitchen – Simple recipes for busy cooks
%title% (%year%) %sep% %sitename%	Best Pickle Jars (2026) – Green Kitchen
Recipes: %term% %sep% %sitename%	Recipes: Pickles – Green Kitchen
%title% %sep% %wc_price% %sep% %sitename%	Mango Pickle 500 g – $12.50 – Green Kitchen

How empty and unknown variables behave

• A variable with no value in that context outputs nothing. %term% on a post, or %wc_sku% on a product without a SKU, is simply left out.
• Unknown variables (a typo such as %titel%) are removed rather than printed.
• Extra spaces are collapsed, and doubled or leftover separators are tidied. If %tagline% is empty, %sitename% %sep% %tagline% becomes Green Kitchen, not Green Kitchen –.

Note The search preview in the editor fills in %title%, %sitename%, %tagline%, %sep%, %excerpt% and %year% as you type. Other variables are left out of the preview but are filled in on the live page.

Variables in schema

Custom schema fields accept all of the variables above plus schema-only ones such as %url%, %featured_image% and %date_iso%. See Add and edit schema on a page.

FAQ

Can I use variables in a single post's SEO title?

Yes. The SEO title and Meta description fields in the editor accept the same variables, for example %title% in %year% %sep% %sitename%.

How do I set the primary category for %category%?

The primary category comes across when you import from another SEO plugin, and an AI agent can set it with the set_primary_term tool. Without one, %category% uses the post's first category.

Why does %date% show the wrong format?

It uses the date format from WordPress Settings → General → Date Format. Change it there.