Published 2013-08-13 ·3 min read
The META KEYWORDS Tag
The META KEYWORDS tag is irrelevant for modern SEO. Major search engines (including Google) stopped giving it ranking weight around the year 2000 because of widespread keyword stuffing abuse. You don’t need to add it. If your CMS already outputs one, keep the list under 6 highly relevant keywords so it doesn’t look like a black-hat signal.
The META KEYWORDS tag had a lot of popularity in the 90’s because of its importance for search engines such as AltaVista or Infoseek. However, due to abuse it has become irrelevant for Search Engine Optimization.
What is the META KEYWORDS tag?
The META KEYWORDS tag, the same as other META elements, is used to provide structured data about a Website. All META tags have to be placed inside the <HEAD> section of the page HTML.
All the code that is placed inside the <HEAD> section is invisible for the users but can be read by your Web browser (Firefox, Chrome…) and by search engines such as Google.
What importance does it have?
Due to abuse of the META KEYWORDS the main search engines stopped giving relevance to it around the year 2000. In the following video, Matt Cutts, one of the senior members of Google’s engineering team, explains how this tag is no longer important for SEO.
Should I use the META KEYWORDS tag?
There is no definite “YES” or “NO” answer to this question. The most appropriate response would be “IT DOESN’T MATTER”.
| Situation | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Site has no META KEYWORDS | Don’t add it. Not necessary. |
| Site already has META KEYWORDS | Limit to 6 relevant keywords max. |
| Long keyword list (10+) | Remove or trim. Looks like keyword stuffing. |
If your Website does not have META KEYWORDS it is not necessary to include them. However, if your Website is already using this tag or you wish to use it for your new sites, we recommend that you don’t just include a long list of Keywords because it could be an indication that you are using “black hat” SEO techniques (such as “keyword stuffing”). Select up to 6 keywords which are relevant to your site’s content.
Key takeaways
- META KEYWORDS is dead for SEO. Google has ignored it since around 2000.
- Don’t add it to a new site. It’s not required and doesn’t help.
- If you keep it, cap at 6 relevant keywords. Long lists can flag your site for keyword stuffing.
- Other META tags still matter: TITLE and META DESCRIPTION are the ones that move rankings and CTR.
FAQ
Does Google still read the META KEYWORDS tag?
No. Google publicly confirmed (Matt Cutts, 2009) that they don’t use the META KEYWORDS tag for web search ranking.
Will using META KEYWORDS hurt my SEO?
Only if you stuff it with dozens of irrelevant terms, which can look like a black-hat signal. A short, relevant list is neutral.
Which META tags actually matter for SEO?
TITLE and META DESCRIPTION. Everything else (KEYWORDS, REVISIT-AFTER, etc.) is either ignored or marginal.