Introduction
Meta keywords are a type of meta tag that can be added to a webpage’s HTML source code to give search engines more information about the content on the page. They are not visible to visitors and are added to the <head> section of a page. However, the use of meta keywords has become less important over time as search engines have evolved their algorithms to focus more on the actual content of the page. In fact, Google has stated that they do not use meta keywords as a ranking signal.
In summary, while it is not harmful to include meta keywords in your HTML, it is unlikely to significantly impact your search engine ranking or visibility. Focusing on high-quality, relevant content and other on-page optimization techniques are likely to be more effective ways to improve your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.
We should use other tags instead
It is clear that Google doesn’t find the meta keyword important when ranking a page in its search results. So you are better off utilising other tags, such as the title tags and meta description tags. These 2 tags are known to have direct and indirect SEO value.
Title Tag
An SEO title tag is an HTML element used to specify the title of a webpage. It is written as <title> within the <head> section of the page’s HTML code. Its primary job is to tell visitors and search engines what they can expect from the web page in the most concise way possible.
A title tag needs to be shorter and more specific than an H1 title on a page, and should contain approximately 50-60 characters. If a title tag is longer than 60 characters, it runs the risk of being cut off in search engine results pages (SERPs), which could negatively affect click-through rates. Conversely, if a title tag is less than 50 characters, it might miss out on some opportunities.
A title tag must include the primary keyword due to the fact that Google analyses the keywords within your title in order to understand what topic the page covers.
Finally it is proven that title tags containing click enticing text such as ‘top’ or ‘best’ have a much greater Click through rate than those that don’t.
Meta Description
An SEO meta description is a brief summary of a web page that appears as part of the search snippet in a search engine results page (SERP). The meta description tag is an HTML element that provides information about the content of the page and how it relates to the user’s search query. According to Moz, a well-written meta description can improve click-through rates and attract more qualified traffic to a website.
The best practices for writing an SEO-friendly meta description include using benefit-driven copy to clearly describe the benefits someone will get from the page, including relevant keywords in a natural way, keeping the description below 120 characters, and avoiding duplicate meta descriptions across multiple pages. It is also recommended to write a unique meta description for every page on the website.
It’s important to note that while meta descriptions are not a direct ranking factor, they can indirectly impact a website’s ranking by influencing click-through rates and user engagement with the site.
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FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
To set meta keywords, you can add a meta tag to the head section of your HTML code. Here’s an example:
<head> <title>Your Page Title</title> <meta name="keywords" content="keyword1, keyword2, keyword3"></head>Replace “keyword1, keyword2, keyword3” with the specific keywords you want to target for your page. It’s important to note that while meta keywords were once a major factor in search engine optimization, they now carry much less weight and some search engines don’t use them at all. It’s still a good practice to include them, but don’t rely on them as the sole factor in optimizing your website for search engines.
Meta keywords used to be an important factor in SEO, but their impact has significantly decreased over the years. Today, most major search engines, including Google, don’t use meta keywords as a ranking factor. In fact, the overuse of meta keywords can even hurt your website’s SEO, as it may be seen as spammy or manipulative.
Instead of focusing on meta keywords, it’s important to create high-quality, relevant content that answers users’ search queries. This will help search engines understand the topic of your website and rank it accordingly. Additionally, optimizing other on-page elements like title tags, meta descriptions, and header tags can also improve your website’s SEO
