Meta keywords are an artifact of an earlier era in search engine optimization (SEO) history. But are they still worth the time it takes to optimize them? The short answer is “Not for US-based SEO” and here’s why.
What are meta keywords (and where do they come from)?
The short and sweet answer is that meta keywords are searchable terms or phrases added to the HTML code of a page. Although visitors cannot see meta keywords on your page, search engines can read them in the code. To find a keywords meta tag on any web page, see a
code section for something like this:Decades ago, it was common SEO practice to insert meta keywords into web pages to help increase visibility and rankings. Meta keywords suffered from widespread overuse in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and as a result became a much less reliable signal for search engines. Often sites would include irrelevant or spammy meta keywords in an attempt to increase rankings and fight for visibility. This led to many search engines completely ignoring meta keywords.
For over 10 years, Google has been consistent and clear about whether or not meta keywords affect search rankings. As the head of Google’s search relations team reiterated last year John Muellermeta keywords are not a ranking factor.
Why you should stop using meta keywords for SEO
Simply put, spending time on meta keywords is not worth the effort. At the very least, your work will be in vain, especially with Google accounting for 92.6% of search engine market share by June 2023, according to StatCounter. While there are a handful of international search engines like Yandex that still use meta keywords as a ranking factor, there are others that see too many or irrelevant meta keywords as a sign that your pages are potentially spam. If used incorrectly, meta keywords can actually be a negative ranking signal.
Bing, for example, has been very picky about meta keywords. Previously, Bing stated that meta keywords are not used as a ranking factor. However, as Bing’s Frédéric Dubut points out, there is an opportunity to classify websites with loaded meta keywords as potentially spammy and harmful.
Also, do you really want to advertise on the keywords you worked so hard to rank for? It makes it easier for people working on competitive websites to do their competitive research. Why make your job easier?
Is there a reason to use meta keywords?
For reasons other than SEO, there might be a time and a place to use meta keywords. Generally speaking, meta keywords provide a way for larger companies or sites to categorize their information for their content management systems. Some internal site search systems also use meta keywords to help improve their relevance when returning internal site search results.
So there you have it: solid reasons not to use meta keywords in your US-based SEO program. They don’t work, they can be harmful, and your competition can use them to research your keyword strategy. Unless you must have keywords to target one of the international search engines that still use them, or your CMS or internal site search requires them, save yourself time and effort by skipping meta keywords entirely.
