conflicting information on meta keyword tag

[boardgameboy]

Hello everybody,

I hope I am not posting a question that has likely been asked many times before. I have tried researching this but couldnt find the information I wanted.

I am increasingly frustrated at conflicting reports about the use of the meta keyword tag. OK, so i understand that the TITLE and META DESCRIPTION are important tags to use. I also know that Google doesnt place much importance on META KEYWORDS but other engines do.

My question is this - Is it better not to use the meta keyword tag at all, rather than using it (possibly incorrectly by keyword stuffing or use of irrelevant keywords) and subsequently being dropped by Google or at least overlooked by googlebot?

I have read that it is a waste of time AND that it is an integral part of gaining organic listings. My website is 500 pages and growing by the day. I have changed this field on every page of my website more than once and every time I do, I read another guru saying something different, and I'm telling you, this is no easy task for me. I would be very grateful if someone more knowledgable than I could help me out here.

Thanks
Matt

[rlrouse]

I use the Title, Description, and Keywords meta tags only and omit the rest. The benefits of the Keywords tag are minimal (actually non-existent for Google), but it costs nothing to use it and you never know when (or if) it might help just a bit somewhere else.

[boardgameboy]

The confusing thing was that I was getting good natural listings until I got the ability to put meta keywords on every page, which I duly did. Then, BANG, no listings at all, I am still trying to recover after 2 months! I think it was because I had some irrelevant keywords in this tag (not knowing any better) and am now paying for that mistake. If others do the same i.e. use the tag but not correctly, it will be far more damaging than not using the tag at all. Logically, unless you are confident in what you are doing and understand the rules, its best to leave alone until you do.

[cbp]

Look for reasons other than what you did for the meta tags.

CBP

[boardgameboy]

Thank for the replies. CBP - I dont believe I actually amended anything else, if you swing by here again, can you expand on what you said? Are you suggesting that the meta keywords wouldnt be the issue? What else would affect listings so much if this was the only change?

[greeneagle]

If for nothing else they should be the leading organizational foctor for the entire Site, for viewers and Search Engines. Any software medium runs on logic defined by algs. The algs determine methods and heirarchy and so does heirarchal Site organization!

Ken

[boardgameboy]

Strangely, I'm not much clearer on this. Are we saying just use the tag and dont worry too much about what you put in them. The three things I went back and changed were based on the following three mistakes;

1) Not seperating keywords and phrases by commas.
2) Keyword stuffing
3) Place irrelevant keywords in the tag defined by the fact that if you enter keywords that do not appear in other tags or in the body text of the page, then it is deemed irrelevant by the bots.

It appears that the general consensus of opinion is that these things wouldnt lower my rankings. Or have I got this totally wrong?

I posted in someone elses thread that I am also trying to get an answer to on this theme;

Does it matter if the keywords are sperated by a space i.e.

keyword,keywords
versus
keyword, keywords

Thanks for everyones patience on this. Newbies need this stuff spelled out.

[boardgameboy]

PS - Is there any kind of definitive guide for this type of thing? I have even paid for ebooks on this stuff and after months of research and reading and thinking I know what I'm doing, someone blows whatever I am working on to pieces. I can see why the new guys get frustrated and you experienced guys probably do this stuff on auto pilot. People like me need to learn from you guys but I just find myself reaching for the dictionary to find out what organizational foctor means. :o)

Matt

[greeneagle]

Ohhh............................

You are getting heavy here now! - It's real simple.... Just take the top 15 keyphrases for any business and build them into a pyramid....

1
11
111
1111
11111

Those are your keyphrases built in to a heirarchal priority. (hope we haven't lost anyone yet!)

That will establish:

1) Website structure
2) Secondary Pages
3) Entry Structure and Direction (SE's and visitors)
4) Site Size
5)....
6)....
7)....

Do I really have to go on?.. If so, this is sad! As webmasters we should understand that any software system requires "channeled logic".....

THAT IS WHAT IT's ALL ABOUT ISN'T IT?

Ken