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
-
Meta Robots information
Hi, I have a question about the Meta Robots information Accoarding to the Moz bar, our page uses the meta robots noodp and noydir. Our competitor uses
On-Page Optimization | | AdoBike
INDEX,FOLLOW I read that noodp and noydir are dated and not used anymore. Is it wise to use INDEX FOLLOW instead for better SEO? Thanks in advance!1 -
Ranking well for 3 keyword phrase but not for 2?
Hi all, We have a site that sells whisky and is ranking well for a specific 3 keyword phrase for example "glendronach hielan whisky" (brand, product, type) which is great but the site isn't doing well for 2 keyword phrase for example "glendronach whisky" or "glendronach hielan". I'm a little confused as to why it wouldn't rank higher for the 2 keyword phrases given that there present in the 3 keyword phrase. Is there a massive jump between ranking well between 3 and 2 keyword phrases? If so what could anyone suggest to try and rank on the 2's?
On-Page Optimization | | Jon-S0 -
Problem with Occurrences of Keyword
At "On-Page Report " i have noticed that the only important problem my site has is the "Occurrences of Keyword " it says that i have ONLY 14.156 keyword repeat. My page ofcourse does not have so many repeats of same keyword. In fact this keyword is shown 10 times as i saw at source code of this page i tested. This report is for one page or for all pages of domain ? My keyword was two words keyword if that matters but there is no way that keywords to be repeated so many times.
On-Page Optimization | | Web-Builders0 -
To enter keyword meta tags or to not enter keyword meta tags?
I've been doing SEO for awhile, but new to SEOMoz. I'm surprised that SEOMoz does not recommend keyword meta tags. I didn't enter them for the longest time because I know Google doesn't care about them. However, I did read that other search engines DO use them. And therefore that is why you should have them. I teach my customers about SEO, and I know it would be much easier for them not to enter or worry about the keyword meta tags. However, I would love to hear opinions here. And to Bing/Yahoo put any weight into them or is it only really small search engines? Thanks! Hilary
On-Page Optimization | | endlessrange0 -
Meta Description Question
Is it ok to put your domain name in the meta description if that is the name of your company? so if my company name is BlaBla.com and I want to have a meta description like Shop for your next Widget at BlaBla.com. We have Widget in 30 colors. Free shipping for orders over $50. and I am obviosuly promoting the widget page is this ok. I am concerned that Google will not like the domain name in the meta description. After Peguin I am paranoid about my shadow.....LOL
On-Page Optimization | | freestone0 -
Avoid Keyword Self-Cannibalization | Help needed
I just ran a grade report for one of my niche websites and I can't seem to fix the following issue: Avoid Keyword Self-Cannibalization
On-Page Optimization | | severtservice
Easy fix Cannibalizing link "Buikspieroefeningen voor thuis en een lager gewicht" and "Buikspieroefeningen voor thuis" Explanation It's a best practice in SEO to target each keyword with a single page on your site (sometimes two if you've already achieved high rankings and are seeking a second, indented listing). To prevent engines from potentially seeing a signal that this page is not the intended ranking target and creating additional competition for your page, we suggest staying away from linking internally to another page with the target keyword(s) as the exact anchor text. Note that using modified versions is sometimes fine (for example, if this page targeted the word 'elephants', using 'baby elephants' in anchor text would be just fine). Recommendation Unless there is intent to rank multiple pages for the target keyword, it may be wise to modify the anchor text of this link so it is not an exact match. -- Well, I've tried really everything (I believe) but this issue is not going away.
Could anyone help me out with this? My site = www.debuikspieroefeningenvoorthuis.nl Thanks!
Dennis0 -
SEO Titles and Keyword Density
Hey guys, I'm doing some on page SEO for a few clients and I've always wondered about this question. I have read tons of articles on the perfect <title>tag, but they don't often mention this.</p> <p>So my titles, like most others follow this format:</p> <p>Keyword 1 | Keyword 2 - Company</p> <p>So say for example I am trying to rank for 'life insurance' and 'life insurance quote' for 'axa sunlife'.</p> <p>It's my assumption that the title should be:</p> <p>Life Insurance Quote - Axa Sunlife</p> <p>rather than:</p> <p>Life Insurance | Life Insurance Quote - Axa Sunlife</p> <p>Am I right in thinking that putting it twice has no added value, and could in fact have an adverse effect?</p> <p>Thanks,</p> <p>Lewis.</p> <p> </p></title>
On-Page Optimization | | SEOMyGod0 -
Keyword use in meta description
Anyone know if its important that the target keyword is used AT THE START of the meta description, or is it enough that it is anywhere in the description...? I have a few big ones that are at the end of the description and I was wondering if I should move them up to the front... Thanks!
On-Page Optimization | | inhouseninja0