Does the meta description affect rankings?
Not directly. Google has said the description is not a ranking factor, but it shapes the snippet people see, and a clearer snippet can win more clicks from the same position. Write it to answer why someone should open this page.
Why does Google show a different title from the one I wrote?
Google rewrites titles that are too long, stuffed with keywords, the same across many pages, or a poor match for the content. Keep titles specific and unique to the page, and make sure the main heading on the page says the same thing.
Do I still need the meta keywords tag?
No. Google has ignored meta keywords for ranking since 2009, and most other search engines do too. It does no harm, but it also tells competitors which terms you are targeting.
Should every page have a canonical tag?
It is good practice. A self-referencing canonical on each page tells search engines which URL to index when the same content is reachable with tracking parameters, different letter case, or with and without a trailing slash.
Where do these tags go in WordPress or Shopify?
Most platforms have dedicated fields for the title and description, either built in or through an SEO plugin such as Yoast or Rank Math. Use those fields rather than pasting tags into the theme, so the values stay unique per page and survive theme updates.
