Key words in meta tags

[meema]

Hi- I only lurk here and dive in ocassionally when I have a stumper. Last week I had to do a slam dunk hurry up job on a rather weighty website - long story - the client's partner was robbing him blind and was holding the original website hostage while the lawyers sorted it out - meanwhile there was business needing to happen.

Anyway - fast forward to me spending 48 out of 72 hours making a brand new site happen - it's good - things are working - business is flowing. Over 11,000 page views since last Monday at midnight. [exhaling now]

My question is about the key words. Apparently key words in the meta tags are not so important anymore? Is this true? My client has spent two days putting together a larger list of key words than what I had put originally. Now I need to figure out to do with them. Anyone do a page of just key words - not in the meta tags - just "This is what we are all about" kind of thing?

Regards,
Meema

[davebarnes]

1. Everyone believes that Google does not look at the keyword meta tag.

2. Google could start looking at it tomorrow, so I think adding the keywords makes sense.

3. The keywords should be DIFFERENT for every page and should be relevant to the specific page.

4. I find that creating the description and keywords meta tags adds about 2 minutes to the creation of page. Therefore, quite inexpensive.

5. I also have keywords meta tag on every page because the INTRA-website search engine (www.freefind.com) that I use on my clients' websites looks at this tag.

,dave

[florabalance]

I also think that adding the keywords metatag makes sense. Some engines do look at them and it is possible that google does also.

[meema]

Before I posted this I was searching for info on key words, specifically regarding the best number of key words. My client is somewhat zealous. I simply asked for a list - he is up to 750. I gulped. So that kicked off a few questions for me that I never considered before and my search yielded an old article from 2002searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2165061 (http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=2165061) Frankly I was quite shocked. This is the first time I'd read anything about key words being obsolete. That's when I thought I ought to post this topic for discussion.

Frankly, unless someone shows me the error of my thinking, I see no harm in adding the key words and I doubt I'll remove them without some compelling reason to do so. My real question is - what is the most effective number of key words? Is there such a thing as too many?

[stymiee]

I also think that adding the keywords metatag makes sense. Some engines do look at them and it is possible that google does also.

The only search engine that looks at them is Yahoo and it won't help your rankings. Meta tags are dead for SEO people. Seriously.

But you should still use them. There is more to the Internet then search engines and some things do use meta tags and future services may use them as well.

[Hiops]

I think keywords are important, but they should comply with content, because if they don't it's gonna hurt your site, so you should be careful about them.

[CAD]

I agree that keywords have their use. I don't believe they are a magic bullet, and I don't believe that search engines ignore them. I believe engines use them to help create an abstract about your site and then weigh it against the actual content of the site.

My site currently ranks at the #1 position for the term website developers out of 71,600,000 serps.

I do not have the phrase website developers in my title, my description, my keywords, or the body content of my site anywhere. Actually, the word developers does not show on my site anywhere. Link analysis shows that I do not have a googlebomb for the term, and google has also supposedly disarmed all googlebombs.

How do I rank #1 for that term? I do rank #1 for the allinanchor search for website developers, but other anchor analysis tools do not indicate that it is the most used anchor text used. I do have the word website used on my site, I also have the word development on the site.

It would be a very hard theory to prove, but I submit that somehow an extrapolation is derived using metas and content.

[incrediblehelp]

I only find the keyword tag useful for internal search on a website. Not at all for SEO.

[Seminole386]

I think Dave nailed it.

[halfmexi]

My question is about the key words. Apparently key words in the meta tags are not so important anymore? Is this true? My client has spent two days putting together a larger list of key words than what I had put originally. Now I need to figure out to do with them. Anyone do a page of just key words - not in the meta tags - just "This is what we are all about" kind of thing?

Regards,
Meema

Adding a Glossary of Terms to your site will take care of the extra keywords and it also helps in getting incoming links too.

[parkoskar]

We should use meta tags. Who knows! in next update google starts giving it more preference...

[geminisden]

Is it just Google dat v optimize for?
Meema, I still have keywords tag in place for my sites.

Well said Dave!
The keyword tag shud b secific to a particular page in other words "uniqe" for each page of the site.

[meema]

Interesting thing re: this site that went live at midnight (est) 1/29. I loaded a sitemeter and I've been tracking where the hits are coming from because the old site is still up and running and the lawyers haven't acquired the admin keys yet. But here's the mystery - one link back came from a Google search - using two key words that are in the meta tags. The first five were to the old site - the sixth listing was the new site - up less than two weeks - sixth place in the ranks. I was stunned. The site was fed to the engines on the 2nd but I doubt that had anything to do with a sixth place rank.

I personally think the ranking comes as much from the actual ratio of hits/page views for key words. So, in truth, regardless of the mechanics, I think the key words do matter. This new site has had more than 12,000 page views in 9 days. That has to have something to do with it.

Meema

[mikmik]

Hah. My forum regularily comes up number 1 on google from posts with keywords.
For instance, try '
bandofgonzos mikmik '
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=bandofgonzos+mikmik&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

[indoman]

can people here give how to make the correct meta description and meta keyword from cases studies? thanx for all help

[incrediblehelp]

can people here give how to make the correct meta description and meta keyword from cases studies? thanx for all help

From case studies? What do you mean?

[Kurt M]

As a counter-point, it is theoretically possible that meta tags hurt rankings. If an engine felt meta tags were being abused or a red flag for over optimization, the engines could lower the relevancy score.

So, if you have a lot of pages it may be best to mix it up a little and use the keyword meta tag on some pages, and not on others.

Also, while the keyword tag may or may not help/hurt, it shouldn't be confused with the description tag.

While the description tag most likely does NOT affect ranking, it is still used by many SEs as the page's description in the SERPs, giving the webmaster control over what is displayed as the description.

This can be good and bad...Good in that you decide what the engine displays. It can be bad when a person searches for a keyword phrase that isn't in your meta description. In this example, without the meta description an engine will create it's own "summary" and will often include the keywords searched for in the created summary.

While this won't aid ranking, it may well increase click-throughs.

[incrediblehelp]

While the description tag most likely does NOT affect ranking...

Not true. If you use a cookie cutter (boiler plate) type of description it can trigger a duplicate content filter and get your pages put in the SI.

[Kurt M]

While the description tag most likely does NOT affect ranking...

Not true. If you use a cookie cutter (boiler plate) type of description it can trigger a duplicate content filter and get your pages put in the SI.

The dupe filter/sup index is not a ranking filter/factor, per say.

And the same logic applies to all on page factors. While page title is a ranking factor, repeating it on numerous pages can also cause the pages to be in the sup index.

It's the repetition, not the content of the description tag (and other page elements) that may cause pages to end up in the sup index.

Therefore, instead of using dupe description tags, ommiting them from pages would actually help the page(s), in this example.

[incrediblehelp]

It's the repetition, not the content of the description tag (and other page elements) that may cause pages to end up in the sup index.

I dont agree here. It is the content of the description. They SI most all pages except for one in the case I was talking about.

[Kurt M]

It's the repetition, not the content of the description tag (and other page elements) that may cause pages to end up in the sup index.

I dont agree here. It is the content of the description. They SI most all pages except for one in the case I was talking about.

Actually, you do agree as you said the same thing I did using other words.

It's the repetition, not the content, that <maybe> gets the pages in the sup index.

If it was the content, then all pages would be in the sup index.

[incrediblehelp]

My point is repetition = same content, in this case. Both are bad. I can just give my advice on what I have seen happen in action. I am not speculating here, I am explaining fact. In my case the fact is the content in the description was the same (boiler plate) which suggested to Google duplication. Google themselves have said that one of the factors in deciding if a page is a duplicate is if they are using the same title or description. Lets not play in semantics here.

[Kurt M]

My point is repetition = same content, in this case. Both are bad. I can just give my advice on what I have seen happen in action. I am not speculating here, I am explaining fact. In my case the fact is the content in the description was the same (boiler plate) which suggested to Google duplication. Google themselves have said that one of the factors in deciding if a page is a duplicate is if they are using the same title or description. Lets not play in semantics here.

Actually, let's be honest...you're the one playing semantics.

This is a purely logical situation.

If it was the content, then ALL pages usng the meta tag would be in the sup index.

If it was repetition, then one "original" would be in the main index, while the "doops" would be in the sup index. Which is exactly the example you gave.

This is pure and simple logic.

Use the content once and tell me what happens?

It's the repeition, not the content.

It should be a "given" that repeating ANY content can be a red flag, and this isn't limited to just the contents of meta tags.

I'm a solutions orientated person. Instead of debating almost meaningless topics, a simple and effective work-around is not to use meta tags on machine/boiler plate generated pages.

BTW, why would you ever use dupe description tags?

[incrediblehelp]

Kurt I understand what your saying now and I think we both are trying to say the same thing.

Also I would never use duplicate, cookie cutter or boiler plate description tags. Most of this was in place before the client hires me.

Thanks for your feedback on this.

[Susmita]

I prefer to have Meta tags for the following self-defined reason:

Title tag: Use targeted keywords. In the SERP when it will be shown visitors will match their query and will motivate to click the link. I will love to explain my page content in two three words.

Meta Description: Briefing the page content and purpose in one or two sentence.

Meta Keywords: This page describes all about these key phrases.

Visitor as well as search engine friendly. Isn't it?

Example: Say I am selling personal care products or beauty products online. A specific page deals with hair care products, where product description and specifications of shampoo, conditioner all will be included.

Now like to ask few questions: What would be the search query for an expected buyer for hair care product?

Probable answers: Hair care product, Shampoo, Hair Conditioner…(I can use them in the title tag of the respective page which deals with hair care products)

What else they can do?

They will search for the product, they will try to match existing product with their hair quality and they might choose a product or they might search for another product. (I will try to give an idea to my visitor and search engine that what they can do in this particular page.)

What search term they can use to reach this page?

Well these are all about hair care products, shampoo, conditioner…and few others, which are having, demand in the market.

For me to satisfy SE, first I must satisfy my visitors, and to do that I need to know my targeted audience. Then I will prefer to guide them through my sites instead of leaving them to search through out the sites.

Reasons for maintaining Meta.