How to change your WordPress site title and tagline?

To change your WordPress site title and tagline, log in to your dashboard, go to Settings > General, edit the Site Title and Tagline fields, and click Save Changes. If you use a block theme, you can also change them directly in the Site Editor by editing the Site Title and Site Tagline blocks, and classic themes let you change them under Appearance > Customize > Site Identity. The change applies across your whole site immediately.

It sounds like a tiny setting, but your site title and tagline show up in browser tabs, search results, RSS feeds, social shares, and often your header. This guide explains what each one does, shows every way to change them, covers what to do when the change doesn't appear, and offers practical advice on writing a title and tagline that actually work for you.

What Are the Site Title and Tagline?

The site title is the name of your website, such as "Sajjad's Blog" or "Green Leaf Bakery." WordPress stores it in the blogname option in your database.

The tagline is a short phrase that describes what your site is about, such as "Practical WordPress tutorials for beginners." WordPress stores it in the blogdescription option. Older versions of WordPress filled this in with "Just another WordPress site," which is why you still see that phrase on neglected sites around the web. Newer installs leave it blank.

Where Do the Site Title and Tagline Appear?

Depending on your theme and plugins, these values can appear in several places:

• Browser tabs and bookmarks: WordPress generates the page <title> tag from your site title, usually combined with the page or post title.
• Search engine results: Your title often appears in results, and some SEO plugins use the tagline in the homepage title or description.
• Your site header: Many themes display the title and tagline in the header, especially when no logo is set.
• RSS feeds: Feed readers use the site title and tagline to describe your feed.
• Emails: WordPress uses the site title as the sender name and in the subject line of system emails, such as password resets.
• Social media previews: Plugins that generate Open Graph tags commonly use the site title as the og:site_name.
• The admin bar: The site title appears in the top-left corner of the dashboard.

Method 1: Change the Title and Tagline in General Settings

This method works for every WordPress site, regardless of theme.

1. Log in to your dashboard: Go to yoursite.com/wp-admin and sign in with an administrator account.

2. Open General Settings: In the left menu, go to Settings > General.

3. Edit the Site Title: Replace the text in the Site Title field with your new site name.

4. Edit the Tagline: Replace the text in the Tagline field, or leave it blank if you don't want one.

5. Save your changes: Scroll down and click Save Changes.

6. Check your site: Open your site in a new tab to confirm the header, browser tab, and other spots have updated.

That's it. Because both values are stored as site-wide options, every template that uses them updates instantly.

Method 2: Change Them in the Site Editor (Block Themes)

If you use a block theme such as Twenty Twenty-Five, your header is built from blocks, and the Site Title and Site Tagline blocks pull from the same options as General Settings. Editing them in the Site Editor updates the setting everywhere.

1. Open the Site Editor: Go to Appearance > Editor.

2. Open your header: Click Patterns, then under Template Parts open Header. Alternatively, open any template and click into the header area.

3. Select the Site Title block: Click on your site's name in the header. The block toolbar will show it's a Site Title block.

4. Type the new title: Click inside the text and edit it directly.

5. Edit the tagline: If your header includes a Site Tagline block, click it and type the new tagline. If it doesn't, you can add one using the block inserter (the + button) and searching for "Site Tagline."

6. Save: Click Save in the top-right corner. WordPress will show you that you're updating both the template part and the site's title and tagline settings. Confirm to apply.

Styling the Title and Tagline

While you're in the Site Editor, you can adjust typography, color, and spacing for these blocks in the block settings sidebar. You can also make the Site Title block a link to your homepage (it is by default) and choose whether it opens in a new tab.

If you'd rather set these styles globally, you can target the core blocks in your theme's theme.json:

{
  "version": 3,
  "styles": {
    "blocks": {
      "core/site-title": {
        "typography": {
          "fontSize": "1.75rem",
          "fontWeight": "700"
        }
      },
      "core/site-tagline": {
        "typography": {
          "fontSize": "0.95rem"
        },
        "color": {
          "text": "#555555"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

If you're editing a theme you didn't build, make these changes in a child theme so updates don't overwrite them.

Method 3: Change Them in the Customizer (Classic Themes)

Classic themes, such as Astra, GeneratePress, or older default themes, usually provide site identity controls in the Customizer.

1. Open the Customizer: Go to Appearance > Customize.

2. Open Site Identity: Click Site Identity. Some themes place it under a Header panel instead.

3. Edit the fields: Change the Site Title and Tagline. You'll see the live preview update as you type.

4. Toggle display: Many themes include a checkbox like Display Site Title and Tagline. Uncheck it to hide them from the header while keeping them in your settings for SEO and browser tabs.

5. Publish: Click Publish to save.

The Site Identity panel is also where many classic themes let you upload a logo and a site icon (favicon).

Method 4: Change Them with WP-CLI

If you manage sites from the command line, WP-CLI can update both options in seconds. Run these commands from your WordPress directory:

wp option update blogname "Green Leaf Bakery"
wp option update blogdescription "Fresh sourdough and pastries in Manchester"

To check the current values first:

wp option get blogname
wp option get blogdescription

This is especially handy when you manage many sites or need to update a staging copy quickly.

Method 5: Change Them in the Database

If you're locked out of your dashboard and don't have WP-CLI, you can edit the values in phpMyAdmin. Back up your database first. Open the wp_options table (your prefix may differ), find the rows where option_name is blogname and blogdescription, and edit the option_value fields. Or run SQL like this:

UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 'Green Leaf Bakery' WHERE option_name = 'blogname';
UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 'Fresh sourdough and pastries in Manchester' WHERE option_name = 'blogdescription';

These are plain strings, not serialized data, so a direct update is safe here.

Using the Title and Tagline in Your Own Code

Theme and plugin developers can output these values using core functions. Always escape the output:

<header class="site-header">
    <a href="<?php echo esc_url( home_url( '/' ) ); ?>" class="site-title">
        <?php echo esc_html( get_bloginfo( 'name' ) ); ?>
    </a>
    <?php
    $sajjad_tagline = get_bloginfo( 'description', 'display' );
    if ( $sajjad_tagline ) :
        ?>
        <p class="site-tagline"><?php echo esc_html( $sajjad_tagline ); ?></p>
    <?php endif; ?>
</header>

In block themes, you don't need this; the Site Title and Site Tagline blocks handle it for you.

Why Isn't My New Title or Tagline Showing?

If you changed the settings but still see the old values, work through these checks:

Clear your caches: Caching plugins like WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or LiteSpeed Cache, plus server-level and CDN caches such as Cloudflare, can keep serving old pages. Purge all of them.

Check your SEO plugin: Plugins like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and All in One SEO let you set a custom homepage title and meta description. If one is set, it overrides the default title tag. In Yoast, check Yoast SEO > Settings > Site basics and the homepage settings; in Rank Math, look under Titles & Meta > Homepage.

Check hardcoded headers: Some themes or page builders let you type the site name directly into a header template instead of using the dynamic Site Title element. Edit the header in your theme or builder and swap in the dynamic element.

Wait for search engines: Google and other search engines need to recrawl your site before the new title appears in results. That can take days or weeks. You can speed it up by requesting indexing of your homepage in Google Search Console.

Refresh social previews: Social networks cache link previews. Use each platform's debugging or post inspector tool to refresh them.

Tips for Writing a Good Site Title and Tagline

A clear title and tagline help visitors and search engines understand your site at a glance.

Writing Your Site Title

• Use your brand name: Your site title should normally be the name of your business, blog, or project, not a list of keywords.
• Keep it short: Shorter names fit better in browser tabs, headers, and search results.
• Be consistent: Use the same name across your site, social profiles, and email.

Writing Your Tagline

• Explain what you do: A good tagline tells a new visitor what the site offers in one line, such as "Easy weeknight recipes for busy families."
• Aim for roughly 5 to 12 words: Long enough to be meaningful, short enough to scan.
• Include a natural keyword: If it fits naturally, mentioning your main topic can help both visitors and search engines, but don't stuff it with keywords.
• Leave it blank if you don't need it: An empty tagline is better than a vague one. Many sites skip it entirely and rely on their homepage content instead.

Hiding Without Deleting

If your logo already includes your brand name, you may not want the text title showing in the header. Rather than deleting the title, which would affect browser tabs and emails, hide it visually. In block themes, simply remove the Site Title block from the header template. In classic themes, use the Customizer toggle, or add CSS to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS:

.site-title,
.site-description {
    position: absolute;
    clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);
    width: 1px;
    height: 1px;
    overflow: hidden;
}

This screen-reader-friendly approach hides the text visually while keeping it available to assistive technology. Class names vary by theme, so inspect your header to confirm them.

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FAQ: WordPress Site Title and Tagline

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Conclusion

Changing your WordPress site title and tagline takes less than a minute from Settings > General, and block and classic themes give you extra ways to edit them visually through the Site Editor or the Customizer. For developers and site managers, WP-CLI makes the same change from the command line.

Take a moment to choose a title that reflects your brand and a tagline that clearly explains what your site offers, or leave the tagline blank if it doesn't add value. If your changes don't show up right away, clear your caches and check your SEO plugin settings, and give search engines time to catch up.