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Set each page’s title and description before it includes the shared header, then have the header print those values inside the document’s <head>. Use ordinary PHP variable names such as $pageTitle—not $page-title, where the hyphen is parsed as subtraction.
Set metadata before including the header
The shared header can output page-specific metadata only if the values have already been assigned when PHP reaches the include. For a manually maintained site, assign the values near the start of each page, then include the header:
<?php
// about.php
$pageTitle = 'About us';
$pageDescription = 'Learn about our team and what we do.';
require __DIR__ . '/header.php';
?>In header.php, use those variables in the document head. Fallbacks let pages that have not assigned metadata render without an undefined-variable warning; escaping protects the HTML text and attribute contexts:
<head>
<title><?= htmlspecialchars($pageTitle ?? 'Default title', ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?></title>
<meta name="description" content="<?= htmlspecialchars($pageDescription ?? '', ENT_QUOTES, 'UTF-8') ?>">
</head>Choose a meaningful default title and description if a blank description is not appropriate for your site. If the page’s metadata comes from a database, retrieve the current page’s record and assign its values before requiring the header.
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Why $page-title does not work
A hyphen is not allowed as part of a conventional PHP variable name. PHP treats it as the subtraction operator, so an expression such as $page-title is interpreted as a variable minus another identifier—not as one variable named “page-title.” Use a valid name such as $pageTitle or $page_title instead. The PHP manual confirms that variable names are case-sensitive, so $pageTitle and $pagetitle are different variables: PHP: Basics of variables.
Use the exact same spelling and capitalization where you assign and output each value. If you see an undefined-variable warning, check both that the assignment ran and that it appears before the header include. The original question and discussion of these patterns appear in the SitePoint Forums thread.
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Use a description tag, not a keywords tag
Put the page’s summary in a description meta element. It is a separate field from keywords; adding a keywords tag is not necessary to make page titles and descriptions unique. Write a concise, accurate description that reflects the particular page rather than reusing the same text across the whole site.
A meta description is not a guaranteed search-result snippet. Google says snippets are primarily created from page content, may vary by search, and can use a meta description when it better describes the page: Google Search Central: Control your snippets in search results. Treat the description as useful page metadata, not a promise about the exact wording Google will show.
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Check the include order and rendered HTML
- In each page, assign the page-specific title and description before the line that requires or includes the shared header.
- In the header, output the title inside
<title>and the description in<meta name="description">. - Use valid, consistently capitalized PHP variable names and provide sensible fallback values for pages without custom metadata.
- Load the page in a browser and inspect its source to confirm the rendered title and description are the values intended for that page.
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