It’s not 1998 anymore and most of the big search engines have grown up. Algorithms used by search engines are much more complex and able to better understand and analyze the content of a site without the help of HTML coders.
So, alas, the meta keyword is no longer the way into Google’s heart, which is unfortunate as it would make SEO a much, much easier task for internet marketers. However, there’s no need to declare the meta keyword just yet. There are still some ways in which the meta keyword tag is important and useful for SEOs in a post-meta keyword world.
1. Second-Tier Search Engines
With Google (and Bing to a lesser extent) essentially dominating the search engine market, you might have even forgot about those “lesser” search engines out there. Regardless, other search engines are still out there and worth your attention!
Unlike Google and Bing which have all but declared the meta keyword tag as unimportant in their algorithms after the tag became the target of keyword stuffing and spamdexing in the ‘90s, other more “primitive” search engines may still be placing some of their algorithm’s emphasis on searching for meta keywords.
Though they might not be the “high-brow” Google users you’re looking for, a consumer is a consumer regardless of where they discover your client’s site, be it Google or Yahoo! or even Lycos.
Unlike Google and Bing which have all but declared the meta keyword tag as unimportant in their algorithms after the tag became the target of keyword stuffing and spamdexing in the ‘90s, other more “primitive” search engines may still be placing some of their algorithm’s emphasis on searching for meta keywords.
Though they might not be the “high-brow” Google users you’re looking for, a consumer is a consumer regardless of where they discover your client’s site, be it Google or Yahoo! or even Lycos.
2. If You’re Running a News Site
With the news industry slowly shrinking, now might be more of a time than ever for SEO specialists to step it up to save their favorite publication. An exception to the keywords rule, Google has stated that when it comes to news publishers, they will consider the keywords tag — given that it’s expressed through “news_keywords” rather than simply “keywords” in the HTML or XHTML code.
In 2012 Rudy Galfi, the product manager of Google, noted that this would be a way for good content on the sites of news publishers to stand out amongst the crowd. So look into trying out the news_keywords tag if your news site needs the extra push!
In 2012 Rudy Galfi, the product manager of Google, noted that this would be a way for good content on the sites of news publishers to stand out amongst the crowd. So look into trying out the news_keywords tag if your news site needs the extra push!
3. Landing Page Quality Score
When dealing with PPC ads, one way to get a good position in ad rankings and optimize your CPC is to have a great quality score for your page. Like many of the other metrics for major search engines, the way in which quality score is calculated is enigmatic.
However, what we do know is that the quality score is dependent on how relevant a site is for the keyword in question. Many SEO specialists hypothesize that unlike organic search rankings, meta keywords may still play a minor role in helping crawlers understand whether a site is relevant or not.
However, what we do know is that the quality score is dependent on how relevant a site is for the keyword in question. Many SEO specialists hypothesize that unlike organic search rankings, meta keywords may still play a minor role in helping crawlers understand whether a site is relevant or not.
4. Guideline for Content Developers
Though it might not have a direct impact on your effect in the search engines, using a set of meta keywords that accurately describes the tone and topics of the web page in question are a good way to guide your content developers in the direction you want to improve search engine rankings.
In this sense, meta keywords don’t actually help with search engine results, but if content developers provide unique, quality content directly related to the keywords you’ve outlined, then indirectly this should lead to an increase in your search engine rankings as a result of a collaborative and agreed upon goal between you and the content development side of your SEO team.
In this sense, meta keywords don’t actually help with search engine results, but if content developers provide unique, quality content directly related to the keywords you’ve outlined, then indirectly this should lead to an increase in your search engine rankings as a result of a collaborative and agreed upon goal between you and the content development side of your SEO team.
5. Spam Detection
Again, while not directly impacting the organic rankings in the big search engines, meta keyword tags can play a good role by harming those spam sites that might otherwise take your spot due to keyword stuffing and spamdexing.
Google and other search engines have become very good at tracking down sites that use meta keywords irrelevant to their actual content. Likewise, this means your less knowledgeable competitors who attempt black hat SEO techniques such as keyword stuffing will find themselves punished by Google’s search algorithms.
Google and other search engines have become very good at tracking down sites that use meta keywords irrelevant to their actual content. Likewise, this means your less knowledgeable competitors who attempt black hat SEO techniques such as keyword stuffing will find themselves punished by Google’s search algorithms.
6. It Can’t Hurt
A good SEO specialist will use every tool at their disposal to improve the search engine rankings of their clients. The bottom line is meta keywords can’t harm you in the rankings given you don’t do any of the spammy activities listed in #5.Nobody except the search engineers at Google, Bing and the other search engines know exactly how their algorithms work. Since the meta keyword tag is a tool (albeit probably a pretty useless one) in your SEO toolbox, there’s no reason not give it a shot.
Ricardo CasasAbout the Author:
Ricardo Casas is the CEO and founder of Fahrenheit Marketing LLC, an Austin, Texas based internet marketing company. With over ten years of experience in the industry, Casas has seen metakeywords fall from grace, but still sees many ways in which they are important for SEO purposes.
