Meta keywords

Definition

Meta keywords are keywords that are assigned to a document, page, or article. They are usually included in the meta tags of an HTML document. They are used by search engines to identify and categorize a website or article. While Meta keywords used to be an important practice for improving the Search engine optimization were, they are now no longer relevant for SEO.

How meta keywords have worked in the past

In the past, meta keywords were an important part of the Search engine optimization (SEO). Meta keywords are short, descriptive phrases or words inserted in a special meta tag in the HTML code of a web page. These keywords should summarize the main topics and focus of the page in question and help search engines find the Relevance of the page for specific search queries.

To give you an example: If a website focused on "organic apple juice," the meta keywords for that page might be "organic apple juice, natural apple juice, healthy apple juice." Search engines like Google would then use these meta keywords to display the page in search results when users searched for these terms.

However, over time there have been problems with the use of meta keywords as a ranking factor:

1. Keyword stuffing: Many website operators began to use the meta-Keyword-tag by filling it with a variety of keywords that were not necessarily relevant to the content of the page. This resulted in search engines presenting pages with irrelevant content in search results, which was unsatisfactory for users.
2. Manipulation of rankings: Since the meta keywords are included in the HTML code of the page and not in the visible content, website operators could easily manipulate their rankings by including countless keywords in the metaKeyword-tag without this being visible to the visitor.

Due to these problems and abuses, search engines, including Google, have greatly reduced the value of meta keywords as a ranking factor over time. Today, meta keywords are no longer used as a ranking factor by most search engines, including Google. Instead, search engines focus on analyzing the actual content of a page and the user experience to determine the Relevance and quality of the site for specific search queries.

Disadvantages of Meta Keywords

As already mentioned above Meta keywords no longer have any effect on search engine positioning. Moreover, they can even have a negative effect for search engines, as adding too many keywords excessively can be considered spam.

Example 1

Let's assume that you are starting a new business that deals with renting beach houses on the Baltic Sea. You want to be displayed in the search results when users search for beach houses on the Baltic Sea. In this case you can use the following Meta keywords add: "beach houses, Baltic Sea, rent, beach, vacation".

Example 2

Let us assume that you want to publish an article about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. In this case you can use the following Meta keywords add: "Health, nutrition, lifestyle, sports, exercise".

Conclusion

In the early days of search engine optimization Meta keywords is considered an important tool to help a site rank better in search results. However, many Webmasterto abuse this tag by filling it with irrelevant or misleading keywords in order to achieve better rankings. erlangen.

Important points:

1. Irrelevance in modern search engines: Over time, search engines, including Google, have publicly stated that they do not use the meta keywords tag due to its misuse and irrelevance. no longer for the Ranking use. This means that adding meta keywords to your web page will not directly affect your Google rankings.Ranking has.
2. Potential riskThe use of meta keywords can even be counterproductive. Competitors might check this tag to get an insight into your Keyword-strategy.
3. Focus on more relevant SEO techniques: Instead of spending time with Meta keywords to spend, it is better to focus on proven SEO techniques, such as optimizing the Title tags, of the Meta description tags, the content, internal linking and other relevant on-page elements.

The days of the Meta keywords as a useful SEO tool are long gone. Modern search engines have evolved and rely on more advanced methods to evaluate and rank a page's content. Sticking to outdated practices like Meta keywords is not only a waste of time, but can also pose potential risks. It is recommended to focus on more up-to-date and effective SEO techniques to increase visibility and Relevance of a website.