What are Meta Keywords?
Meta keywords is an HTML meta tag that contains information for search engines about the keywords that the page should be associated with. Here’s how it looks in the HTML code of a page:
<meta name="keywords" content="ahrefs glossary, seo glossary, seo encyclopedia">
Google and Bing have stated that they ignore this meta tag. However, other search engines may still use them.
Are Meta Keywords Important for SEO?
The short answer is No. The meta keywords tag has no effect on SEO these days if you’re optimizing for Google or Bing.
History and Current Relevance
The meta keywords tag was originally introduced to provide search engines with additional information about a page’s content. However, it quickly became a target for keyword stuffing and spamming. Website owners and SEOs would misuse the tag by adding misleading keywords to trick search engines into ranking their pages higher for irrelevant queries.
Due to this abuse, major search engines like Google and Bing announced that they no longer consider the meta keywords tag in their ranking algorithms. This was confirmed by Google’s Danny Sullivan, who stated that Google never supported the meta keywords tag.
Usage Today
While the meta keywords tag is not used by major search engines for ranking purposes, it may still be used by some internal website search systems. For example, some content management systems (CMS) might use the tag to enhance their own search functionality within a website.
Best Practices
Given that the meta keywords tag has no impact on SEO for major search engines, it is not necessary to include it in your HTML code. Instead, focus on other on-page SEO factors that are known to influence rankings, such as:
- Title Tags: Ensure that each page has a unique and descriptive title tag.
- Meta Descriptions: Write compelling meta descriptions to improve click-through rates.
- Header Tags: Use H1, H2, H3, etc., to structure your content.
- Keyword Placement: Naturally include relevant keywords in your content.
- Content Quality: Create high-quality, informative, and engaging content.
- Internal Linking: Use internal links to help users and search engines navigate your site.
Conclusion
Meta keywords are a relic of the past in terms of SEO relevance. Modern SEO strategies should focus on creating valuable content, optimizing for user experience, and following best practices for on-page and off-page optimization. Ignoring the meta keywords tag and concentrating on these other factors will yield better results in search engine rankings.
