Hello Ross, Here are my questions:

1. What are the differences between a typical site map page and a crawler page?

2. Is there any wisdom in having the meta tag with key words only on the Home page of a twenty page site?

Regards, Mark H.

Hello Mark,

I have answered your questions in sequence below:

1. “What are the differences between a typical site map page and a crawler page?”
I have seen the term ‘crawler page’ a few times online and each time it was noted somewhat differently. In my experience it generally describes a sitemap that is intended to provide a quick route to the URLS you wish to have spidered rather than a hierarchy of the links within your site. In other words it is a page with a purposeful, predescribed route for the search engines to index your site or network of sites.

2. “Is there any wisom in having the meta tag with key words only on the home page of a twenty page site?”
If I understand you correctly you are asking whether the keyword meta tag should only be used on the home page. I would say certainly not. The keyword meta tag may not be as important as it used to be, however, it is still a useful guide for some search engines to determine the content of your page. You see, each search engine algorithm is made up of calculations drawn from specific elements of each web page. If you properly optimize each element using your targeted phrase, the search engine will have a better chance of correctly placing your site under that phrase. By leaving out the keyword tag you remove one element (provided on a silver platter I might add) in which to achieve your goals.

I hope that answers your questions appropriately. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help.

Sincerely,
Ross Dunn

QUESTION 2

Hi there. I would like to know if there should be a limit on descriptor words used in the meta “keywords” as I am planning to use as many words that are related to the subject of the website, including combinations of words. And, does it matter if some words are caps ie: European?

Thank you.
Wendy.

Hello Wendy,

The keyword meta tag should never exceed 1024 characters as a maximum. Personally I only add a maximum of, say, 20-30 phrases or words. Remember to sort the keywords/phrases into order of importance – always make your ultimate target keyword #1 in the tag.

Capitalization of keywords will not have any effect in the keyword tags on any of the major search engines. There may be some minor search engines where it has some effect but I highly doubt it.

I hope this helps, let me know if there is any way I can help further.

– Ross Dunn

Ross Dunn is the CEO and founder of StepForth Search Engine Placement Inc., an SEO firm that has been providing expert services since 1997. Rosss considerable experience in the world of search has made him a respected writer for countless publications and an SEO consultant for small business and Fortune 500 web properties.