The Role of the Meta Keywords Tag in Search Engine Optimization

Explanation Meta Keywords
Meta keywords tags are HTML elements that help you define specific keywords related to your website. These keywords are crucial for the performance of your webpage, as they assist search engines like Google in indexing and ranking your site effectively.

Typically, the meta keywords tag can be found within the head section of your page’s HTML code. It’s important to distinguish the meta keywords tag from the meta description tag. While the meta description tag offers a concise summary of the page’s content for users, the meta keywords tag is not visible to users and contains a list of keywords that are relevant to your website’s topics.

This revised version maintains the original meaning while using different wording to make it distinct for search engines.

Structure of a Meta Keywords Tag
Similar to most other metadata elements, the meta keywords tag starts with the “meta” tag name, followed by the “name” attribute set to “keywords.” The relevant keywords should then be added to the “content” attribute, with each keyword separated by commas.

How Relevant is the Meta Keywords Tag for SEO on Google?
Unfortunately, the meta keywords tag no longer plays a role in Google’s search engine optimization. This was confirmed by Matt Cutts, a former Google engineer, in a 2009 article published on Google Search Central, where he stated that “Google does not use the ‘keywords’ meta tag in web rankings.”

Several factors contribute to why the meta keywords tag is no longer effective for SEO on Google:

• The meta keywords tag is not a reliable reflection of the content on a page.
• It has been frequently misused by SEO experts for “keyword stuffing.”
• Google’s ranking algorithm no longer considers the meta keywords tag.

If your goal is to enhance your page’s natural ranking on Google, the meta keywords tag won’t help. Instead, focus on building a strong content strategy, thoroughly researching relevant keywords, and developing a solid backlink approach.

Can Using the Meta Keywords Tag Lead to Penalties from Google?
A common question is whether using the meta keywords tag can harm a website’s SEO.

The simple answer is no. There are no penalties from search engines for using the meta keywords tag.

It remains an invisible element to both search engines and users.

What About Other Search Engines?
The misuse of the meta keywords tag has caused many other search engines to stop considering it. Today, most major search engines ignore this tag.

• Bing: Bing no longer considers the meta keywords tag. In 2020, Microsoft’s Christi Olsen confirmed this in a tweet: “The meta keyword tag is dead in terms of SEO value for @BingWMC. We exclude it and ignore it.”
• Yahoo: Yahoo has officially announced that meta keywords tags no longer contribute to website rankings, a statement made at the SMX conference in New York.
• Yandex: Yandex, one of the largest search engines in Russia, still claims that the meta keywords tag can be useful for ranking on their platform.
• Baidu: Baidu, China’s leading search engine, stopped using the meta keywords tag in 2012, according to a statement from a Baidu engineer published in 2018.

How Can I Find a Meta Keywords Tag?
To locate the meta keywords tag on your website or that of a competitor, right-click on the page and select “Inspect.”

A new tab will open in your browser. The page’s meta tags, including the meta keywords tag, can be found in the “head” section of the HTML code. This is also where you will find other tags like the title, robots, and description tags.

Best Practices for Using Meta Keywords
Although the meta keywords tag has become largely irrelevant for search engine rankings, there are still some best practices to consider when using it:

• Limit the number of keywords to between 10 and 15.
• Avoid keyword repetition.
• Ensure all keywords are separated by commas.
• Diversify your keywords as much as possible. Each page’s meta keywords should only include terms that are relevant to its specific content.

How to Add Meta Keywords in Various CMS Platforms

• Wix
  1. Open the site editor: In your website’s control panel, click the “Edit site” button.
  2. Go to Menus and Pages: Find “Menus and Pages” on the left side of the control panel.
  3. Access page settings: Select your page, click the “Show more” icon, then choose “Settings.”
  4. Enter meta tags: In the “Advanced SEO” window, input your meta tags in the “Custom meta tags” field.
• WordPress
  1. Open the header.php file (not recommended): Go to Appearance > “Theme editor,” then select header.php under “Theme files.”
  2. Add your meta tags manually: Copy and paste the appropriate code for meta keywords inside the <head> section of your theme.
  3. Use a Plugin (recommended): For easier meta tag management, use the Yoast SEO plugin. Once activated, you’ll find an option to add your meta keywords under each page or post in the Yoast SEO section.
• HubSpot
  1. Access your landing page: In the navigation bar, go to Website > Website Pages to locate your web pages.
  2. Select the desired page: Choose the page to which you want to add the meta tags, then click “Edit.”
  3. Enter meta tags in Settings: In the page editor, click on the Settings tab. Under “Additional options,” select “Additional code extracts” and input your meta tags in the HTML header field.