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Meta keywords are a type of meta tag that appear in the HTML code of a webpage and help tell search engines what the topic of the page is. They are distinguished from regular keywords because they appear in the source code of the page, rather than on the live, visible page itself.
Meta keywords were once important in SEO, but most search engines have realized that sites can easily “game” the meta keywords field with black-hat keyword stuffing, so meta keywords are no longer an important part of the Google ranking algorithm.
While some search engines like Bing and Yandex may still rely on them, most SEO professionals no longer use the meta keywords tag. For 99.9% of people, the meta keywords tag is useless and filling it out is a waste of time.
You should only use it if you have a particular reason to do so, like using it for an internal keyword tagging system or an internal site search. Other meta tags like your title and meta description deserve more attention.
Best Practices for Using Meta Keywords
Meta keywords are specific meta tags located in the HTML head section of a webpages containing a list of keywords that represent the content. However, they are now largely disregarded by most major search engines due to misuse.
Google hasn’t used the meta keywords tag to help rank webpages for at least a decade and Bing announced in 2011 that they use the tag as a spam signal.
It’s best to focus on other more important meta tags, such as the title tag and meta description, which can affect how your pages appear in search results and influence visitor click-through rate.
If you have a particular reason for an internal keyword tagging system or an internal site search, you can still do so, but for most users, it’s not necessary.
Keywords Research Strategies
Keyword research is the process of identifying and analyzing the words and phrases that people use when searching online. It is crucial for informing content strategies, understanding target audiences and driving organic traffic to websites.
To conduct effective keyword research, you can follow these best practices:
- Understand Your Audience: Start by considering the needs, wants and problems of your target audience. Compile a list of words, ideas and topics that surround your business or niche.
- Use Keyword Research Tools: Leverage keyword research tools like Semrush’s keyword magic tool or Google keyword planner to generate keyword ideas and analyze their search volume, competition and search intent.
- Identify Search Intent: Consider the intent behind the keywords you target. It’s important to ensure that your content addresses the problem a searcher intended to solve, aligning with user intent.
- Prioritize Relevance: Google ranks content for relevance, so focus on targeting keywords that are relevant to your content and align with your audience’s search intent.
- Regularly Re-evaluate Keywords: it’s essential to re-evaluate your keywords every few months to stay updated and discover new keywords opportunity.
By following these best practices, you can develop a strong keyword strategy that helps improve your website’s visibility and drives relevant traffic.
Optimizing Meta Keywords for Different Page Types
Meta keywords are no longer an important part of the Google algorithm, and most search engines have realized that sites can easily “game” the meta keywords field with black-hat keyword stuffing.
However, for search engines like Bing that still consider meta keywords to some extent, it’s essential to approach them strategically. Rather than stuffing your meta keywords with numerous variations, focus on using a concise set of relevant and highly specific keywords.
To optimize meta tags for diverse search intents, craft concise and relevant title tags (less than 60 characters) that include focus keyword, write keyword-based eye-catching meta descriptions and add clear and descriptive tags for every page.
It’s important to ensure that each keyword accurately reflects the content of your pages and is relevant to the page in question. You can use tools like SE Ranking, Semrush and Google keyword planner to generate keyword ideas and analyze their search volume, competition and search intent.
Monitoring and Adjusting Meta Keywords
To monitor and adjust meta keywords, you can follow these steps:
- Monitor Performance: Use tools like Google Analytics or Search Console to track metrics such as impressions, clicks, click-through rate, bounce rate or conversions.
- Utilize A/B Testing and Heatmaps: Experiment with different variations of your meta tags and descriptions using tools like A/B testing and heatmaps to understand their performance.
- Stay Updated: Keep an eye on changes in search algorithms, user behavior, or market trends that might affect your meta tags and descriptions, and update them accordingly.
- Optimize for Different Platforms and Devices: Ensure your meat tags and descriptions are optimized for various platforms and devices such as social media, mobile devices, voice search or featured snippets.
- Regularly Review and Update: Review and update your meta tags and descriptions when creating new content, adding new features or services, changing target audience or keywords, launching a campaign or promotion and receiving feedback from users.
By following these practices, you can ensure that your meta keywords are relevant and effective for your SEO strategy.
Examples of Effective Meta Keywords
The concept of “meta keywords” is no longer considered an important part for SEO, especially for Google, as they have been widely abused for keywords stuffing. Instead, search engines like Google and Bing prioritize the actual content on the page, user experience and other relevant factors.
While meta keywords can still play a small part in communicating your message and attracting searchers to your site, it’s crucial to use only relevant and specific keywords that match your page’s content and the user’s query intent.
It’s recommended to avoid using too many or irrelevant keywords that may dilute your focus or confuse search engines. Additionally, it’s best to keep your meta keywords between 5-10 words, separated by commas.
However, it’s important to note that both Google and Bing ignore meta keyword data, so the focus should be on other more impactful SEO strategies.
Conclusion
The use of meta keywords has significantly diminished in importance for SEO, particularly with Google’s algorithm. While they may still have a minor role in other search engines, the emphasis in modern SEO is on high-quality, relevant content, user experience and other on-page and off-page optimization techniques.
Therefore, it’s essential to focus on creating valuable content that addresses the needs of your target audience and to use other relevant meta tags, such as the title tag, meta description, to improve the visibility and click-through rate of your pages.
By understanding the evolving landscape of SEO and adapting to these changes, you can develop a more effective and sustainable approach to optimizing your online presence.
