What are you thinking of when considering the phrase “meta keywords”? The meta keywords definition sounds something like this: “tags of the text article, those words, which play the most significant role and are repeated in the text more often.” Example is given:
<meta name="keywords" content="wedding bouquets, floral decorations, flower shows" />
Some optimizers have stopped using this meta tag having doubts that it is still relevant. Where do such thoughts come from? The reason is that some experts are sure that meta keywords are no longer used by popular search engines (Google, Yandex) and do nothing for website SEO optimization. It should be noted that if you check out some sites’ code, you are unlikely to see tag words there.
Others, on the contrary, claim its effectiveness. So, where is the truth? The best possible solution is to use them to be on the safe side. In any case, meta words won’t do any harm. On the one hand, free search engines may consider this zealous listing of words an attempt of manipulation. On the other hand, if you specify a couple of words you won’t face any sanctions. They may play some role when determining whether there is a match between a page and search queries.
Is It a Good Idea to Include Keywords?
Let’s dig deeper into the history of the word to clarify what a meta keyword is and what its role is nowadays. The words tag dates back to 1995. Its original task was to simplify search engines’ work while indexing pages. The meta tag of words reflecting the main idea of the text was initially used by the webmaster. The robot took into account the contents of words as well as the rest of the content. If you need to choose keywords for content properly, you can use the google adwords keyword planner tool.
When assessing the page relevance, the higher positions were given to the page with the tag of the word. Unfortunately, the situation was changed because of some dishonest optimizers who spammed words: the same words were specified several times, requests were made that did not correspond to the subject matter of the page. All this led to the unwanted consequences we have now: Google announced that the tag of the site’s words is no more important for ranking pages. The reaction of other search engines also was expected. They didn’t tell openly that they stopped taking the tag into account at all but made it clear that its relevance decreased substantially.
Despite this, nobody can know for 100% that words aren’t used by search robots anymore. What if it is just a trick with the aim to make the system work better without giving a chance for inappropriate words’ application? That’s why by using keywords tag wisely there is a chance that you will win or at least not lose.
How to Write Meta Tag Keywords in the Right Way?
Follow these instructions:
- The tag of words should be placed in the HEAD block of the HTML-code and not be larger than 100-150 characters.
- It is a must to include only words relating to the general site topic.
- Words should be listed with space. Remember that each page should have its unique keywords list.
- It is not recommended to put commas between words, so the search robot will be able to independently compose additional phrases from the specified words. (Read what is googlebot and how to optimize your content for best indexing and get more traffic)
- Do not use adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections.
- Each word can be included not more than three times. Think of the most important and often repeated words. If you have any doubts, use keyword density checker.
- Requests are made in the decreasing frequency ( avoid high-frequency keywords).
- Don’t write capital letters, except when writing abbreviations/ proper names. Use plural only if such a form leads to a change in the root of the word.
Use these recommendations to create a specific tag of words. It’s better to have a meta keyword than ignore it! What is more, engine ranking algorithms are never fully disclosed being frequently changed. Therefore, it is practically impossible to estimate the absolute value of the influence of this or that factor.
What to Remember When Choosing Meta Keywords?
Besides the already mentioned guidelines, the successful keyword meta tag best practices require knowledge of certain basics. You can create the word list by yourself if you have all the necessary skills or you can use our professional keyword suggestion tool. It doesn’t matter much if you use some special tool or not. Make sure that you have included the so-called keywords with long tail SEO. What are they? For example, instead of writing just “ bag,” it is better to use a long-tail word “casual, large real leather bag cheap.” There are two main “whys” not avoid them. They are really helpful for the creation of the specific and detailed. Moreover, do keyword research using analytical skills. Devote some time to look at keywords that your rivals give preference to. Develop a list, brainstorm all possible variations of requests used for the site, pay attention to those with spelling errors as well.
