Are Meta-keywords coming back?
-
I'm currently doing some benchmarking for a big realtor site here in México, while looking at the biggest players in the US I noticed most if not all are using the Keywords meta tag in their detail listings.
I've been really open to my client about not using this tag at all given the current common knowledge but when sites like: Trulia.com, Realtor.com, appartments.com and the like, are using them I'm second guessing their utility.
Does anyone have any insights on this? Should or should not we use meta-keywords?
On a side note, there is some interesting microdata going on, in those sites.
-
The short answer is: No. They're not coming back, in the sense that anything has changed or that they carry any more weight than they did last year. All signs point to their continued decline. Google has publicly stated that it carries no positive ranking value.
Technically, Alan is correct - evidence suggest that Yahoo/Bing used Meta keywords as a ranking signal more recently than Google. Most of that evidence is 2+ years old, though, and I've seen no compelling reasons to think that it will tip the balance in any competitive situation on Bing. Even that 2009 article basically says: "Sure, use it, but don't expect much", IMO.
Here's the other problem - Meta keywords has been used as a negative ranking signal, and probably still is to some degree. In other words, you might not gain much or anything from using it, but if you spam it, you could get devalued. My gut feeling is that the negative signal is much, much stronger than the positive one, and even Google may still use it as a negative signal. I'm certain that Yahoo/Bing has used it as a negative signal (not sure if they still do).
I tend to agree that the competitive fears are overblown. Any decent site's keyword targets should be pretty clear - otherwise, it's not a very well SEO'd site.
Personally, if you want to use them, use them - but keep them short, sweet, and relevant. Once you do, get on with your life.
-
I agree, the competitor argument seems meaning less to me.
-
I feel like it could be useful in that it helps with Bing.
Competitors would typically already know what keywords you're targeting, especially if they're using SpyFu or just look at your page or anchor text profile on OSE to see what it's optimized for. I think it's a little silly for that to be the only reason not to use it.
Besides, you can always use it for less-searched keywords and throw your competitor's off
-
couldn't agree more with this ^^
-
From Matt Cutts (Google):
To this day, you still see courts mistakenly believe that meta tags occupy a pivotal role in search rankings. We wanted to debunk that misconception, at least as it regards to Google. Google uses over two hundred signals in our web search rankings, but the keywords meta tag is not currently one of them, and I don’t believe it will be
However, this is from 2009--so I have no idea if they are coming back.
From Bing:
The tag’s keyword attribute is not the page rank panacea it once was back in the prehistoric days of Internet search. It was abused far too much and lost most of its cachet.
KW: Cachet
Notice Alan had this link before me.
-
Bing does technically use it but I strongly recommend against it. If it is part of their algorithm there is no indication that it is a strong indicator. Besides, why would you want your competition knowing what your strategies are. If you think you need to use it I would consult your traffic through Google Analytics and Bing Webmaster tools to see how much of your traffic, if any, is coming from Bing. If it is a high number then maybe consider it. But again, I wouldn't worry about it. Bing says it uses it....doesn't mean it doesn't use it to indicate spammers.
-
You should definitely use them. Just don't be stupid with it and stuff 100s of keywords in there.
Here is a case study showing they still work:
And one of my favorite quotes of all time:
If you ever have the good fortune to create a great advertising campaign, you will soon see another agency steal it. This is irritating, but don't let it worry you; nobody has ever built a brand by imitating somebody else's advertising.
David Ogilvy -
Yes you should use the keywords tag, Bing uses it as a signal.
A good and recommended use is misspellings of keywords and alternative keywords
-
Yeah I totally understand using them to see their strategies, but the fact that all of them are doing it, made me second guess, thanx for the answer!
-
no they aren't coming back and I would suggest not using them. I would also suggest tracking your competitors and using that to your advantage. It might be something you already knew, but you might also find a keyword in there you weren't thinking to target that the Google Keyword Tool produces a surprising number of searches for.
That, by the way, is why you should avoid meta keyword tags.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Are Meta Keywords Still A Thing?
Hey all! First post on here, forgive me for being an SEO newb. Are meta keywords still a thing? Here's why I ask, I read this article from back in 2009 that said they are absolutely not a ranking factor anymore: https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2009/09/google-does-not-use-keywords-meta-tag.html However, in doing some research on our competition, I found that the top result for "Financial Advisor in Colorado Springs" was this company: http://www.strasbaughfinancial.com/ Honestly, the site seems to be doing everything opposite of what I read to do. It isn't even mobile responsive! With the Moz Bar, I found that no links pointing toward it. Not one video on the site (there is a link to a welcome video but the link is broken!!), no blog or regular content updates, no keywords in the H1 or H2 tags, page titles, etc. The website looks old and, frankly, terrible. Really I’m stumped how this can be ranking so high for so many competitive keywords. Then I realized that they stuffed tons of keywords in the meta description and meta keywords. From what I can tell, this is the ONLY intentional SEO strategy they used. Am I missing something? Are meta keywords still a ranking factor and THAT important?
On-Page Optimization | | otherside130 -
Should URL contain primary keyword or primary + extended keyword?
Hi All, This is a query regarding what keyword should be placed in URL. Below is the scenario. I have marketplace website where I can service providers with users. I have a page with a list of Dance providers and want to rank it for Dance Classes, Dance Coaching Classes keywords. Since these keywords represent same business purpose for us, should I keep the URL as www.abc.com/dance-classes or www.abc.com/dance-coaching-classes? What is SEO best practice in this scenario? Kindly suggest.
On-Page Optimization | | Avin1230 -
Why do some Keywords collapse in SERPS?
I've been working my way up SERPS with some fairly uncompetitive keywords and have been comfortable with them in the 5-10 range. This week I have watch a number of them drop back to the mid 50s. Why?
On-Page Optimization | | Zippy-Bungle0 -
Impact of rogue keyword in content
I have a page that is optimised - title, URL, content etc for the chosen keywords. However, within the content are some batches of bullet point text that has repeated text throughout. So for example I have 5 instances of my chosen keyword within the content and 24 instances of the two word text within the bullet points. Does this kind of scenario have any impact on ranking?
On-Page Optimization | | MickEdwards0 -
Same keyword for almost same content
Hi all! my site deals with a concept called "motivation" in two different categories: motivation for teachers (related to kids) and motivation for parents (related to kids all well). These two categories (in different pages and in different menus) deals with the concept through different perspectives. BUT the keyword to optimize the pages is the same. Due to the structure of the web I've been given I am in this position. I can't redesign the web (I'm not allowed to do it). Any solution related to the keyword? Should I maybe optimize one page with the keyword and in this page have a link to the other not-optimzed page?Any ideas? Thanks in advanced.
On-Page Optimization | | juanmiguelcr0 -
Advice with keywords - category - Forum
Hiya guys Everyone has been really good to me on here, just wanted a bit of advice with the keywords on my forum. my website is a nightlife forum for the UK, each city has its own section. Each section has a eg: _What's on in Birmingham? Club Nights, Upcoming Events, Promotions _ as the Title category, Should I drop the Club Nights, Upcoming Events, Promotions and put that in the description of the forum. So it'll just be What's on in Birmingham? with a description Find Club night information, Upcoming events and pr............. eg Just wondering if it was to stop searches been made, like, Club nights in Birmingham etc. from being targeted. Your thoughts please guys Thanks for reading Lukescotty
On-Page Optimization | | Lukescotty0 -
Mentioning own site and keywords on here?
I have noticed that sometimes posters will talk about a site without mentioning what it is. I assume this is because it one of their clients so there is confidentiality, is there any other reason I should be aware of? its just that as I am new I am usually cautious and am considering posting my own site and mentioning all my keywords to ask for people’s verdict for my on-page SEO. Still working on it, will be ready soon, thought I would ask in advance. Regards,
On-Page Optimization | | Zoolander0 -
Are Title meta tag keywords case sensitive'
Hi! One of the fixups that SEOmoz analysis reports is that my main keyword isn't part of the page title. The problema is that the keyrord is there but in uper case while i introduced a lower case keyword for analysis (see the example). BEAUTY (it's in the page title) beauty (that's the keyword i'm analysing) Regards, OV
On-Page Optimization | | ovieira0