Keywords, Key Phrases - are both needed?

[americana]

If audio recording and audio recorders are both key phrases for a site, would you include all words and variations of all in META tags - for example:

audio recording, audio, audio recorders, recording, recorders

or is it enough to include only the following:

audio, recording, recorders

Thanks!

[sfowler]

Use the phrases, these are much too competitive to do otherwise. I was told not to use any word more than three times in the tags. Most SEs ignore them at the moment, but who knows what hte future will bring! I always use them.

[Mel]

If you are talking about the meta keywords tag I would use audio recorders,audio recording.

If you are talking about the description meta tag, then I would try to include both of the above keyphrases, but writing it up in such a way that if the meta description is used for the SERP description it will also server as a sales message.

I believe that Yahoo, MSN and Alta Vista read the meta keywords tag and place some small amount of importance on them for ranking purposes.

[americana]

So, Mel, you would just use audio recording and audio recorders in your keywords... you would NOT also use audio, recordering, and recorders seperately?

[Mel]

No I would no use jsut audio on a page which targeted audio recorders or audio recording, it is a very general word and unless you want to also target a bunch of other audio terms like audio testers, audio studios, audio meters,audio amplifiers,audio improvements etc etc then you are not very focused on your target.

Same thing with recorders, there are many kinds of recorders but you are only targeting one kind.

[americana]

True. Makes sense. Thanks.

[rlrouse]

Phrases are less competitive and provide better targeted traffic.