Is The Keyword Meta Tag Still Worth Using?

[GARETH]

Hi,

Hope anyone can help me.

I have heard that the keyword meta tag is not really used by a few search engines to help index your web pages. Is this true??

If so which search engines do use the keyword phase?

[rustybrick]

Hi and welcome.

Google is known not to use the meta keywords in determining rankings for your pages.

Yahoo and its partners I believe do use meta keywords. I think Ask Jeeves does as well.

There is no reason not to use relevant keywords in your meta keywords tag. Just do not keyword stuff or put irrelevant keywords in the meta keywords tag and you should be fine.

[Nick W]

Personally speaking I feel the benefit is so tiny (if there at all) that it's outweighed by having a slightly lighter page.

I dont bother with descriptions much anymore either...

Nick

[Nacho]

There is no reason not to use relevant keywords in your meta keywords tag. Just do not keyword stuff or put irrelevant keywords in the meta keywords tag and you should be fine.
I agree with Barry, do it today and don't worry about it in the future. If the algo ever changes, then you are all set. If you're not ready for it, then you will have a big headache in your hands. If you're not ready for it, and it never changes, then you got lucky.

Mis 2 centavitos.

[rcjordan]

>Personally speaking I feel the benefit is so tiny

Ditto. I'd rather have the title and content do the talking.

[GARETH]

Hi,

Thanks guys for your response.

What is the best method of trying to help get your website into a high positon. Forexample I have heard that search engines index your pages through:
the first 250 words on each of your web pages
the title description tag
linking
text links at the bottom of the web pages

Can anyone tell if this is correct, of am i completeely wrong? Can anoyone make any suggestions on other things i should be looking at?

[rustybrick]

Your list is pretty accurate.

The bottom text links are really part of trying to improve your anchor text weight, for keywords you control. Most people say that title, page text and link building are the 3 most important factors.

[Nick W]

>>What is the best method of trying to help get your website into a high positon

Hire a professional. Its not like flipping burgers, you wont pick it up in 5mins :)

If that's not an option: Start out at this Intro to Search Optimization (http://searchenginewatch.com/webmasters/article.php/2167921)

Then start reading all the seo forums and newsletter and blogs you possibly can. Read first, then ask if only becuase many stuff has been covered already.

Here are a few good forums oriented toward the newbie seo:

http://www.webmasterworld.com
http://www.ihelpyou.com
http://www.highrankings.com

All contain pro grade info as well, but these three are particular 'newbie friendly' if you know what i mean :cool:

Have fun!

Nick

[rcjordan]

Personally, I'd add authoritative, keyword-laden domain names (without hyphens) to the mix --but that's just me. In an age of linkpop (and resurrected clickpop?), perceived authority even works for bots.

[GARETH]

HI,

Thnak you everyone for your replies. I am new to all this search engine business but want to learn a lot about it and find it really interesting.

I have just started a new job and we have a huge website. I am worried we have to much information and for me, it is diffcult to see haow it can be proved.

If anyone has a spare 5 minutes I would really find it useful if you could provide me with your knowledge in tamking a look at the a website and see anything can be improved the website is:
http://www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Can anyone help?

[rcjordan]

Well, if .gov.uk works like .gov in the US you may have a lot of your ranking problems solved already, hhh!

[Marcia]

Another welcome to the forums, GARETH. :)

I am new to all this search engine business but want to learn a lot about it and find it really interesting.
Search engine optimization is not rocket science. Anyone who has a desire and applies themselves can learn to do it. Especially since in your case, as rcjordan indicates, it's a government site. It's automatically an authority site, with built-in advantages.

What you need are just some basic SEO principles to get you started, and you'll find plenty of help - especially starting with Danny's articles. A lot of us around got our first foundations with those.

I have just started a new job and we have a huge website. I am worried we have to much information and for me, it is diffcult to see haow it can be proved.
First, there's no such thing as too much information. Search engines *love* content, and plenty of it. Your biggest obstacle may be that to make text changes to existing pages you'd possibly have to wade through bureaucratic channels. Most likely the easiest approach to "management" from a diplomatic viewpoint - if it's necessary - is that since it's a site whose function is primarily to serve the public, it may be possible to suggest adding not *more* information, but information pages that would make it a better public service by making it easier for "average citizens" to find it - in simple language.

First, do the homework, starting out with keyword research. Put yourself in the surfer's shoes, figure out what they'd be looking for to find the site, and then what words they would type in at a search engine to find what they're looking for. That forms the basis of the keyword research, and refining the list can be the basis for additional content development in plain, easy to understand English. That's if it's evident it's necessary and can get approved. But either way, it's the basic essential first step of SEO.

Just a suggestion off the top of my head, see if it fits the situation. There could be not only a site map with the legalese, but one with words that reflect how the average person would be looking - with appropriate anchor text.

Anchor text
Very important for ranking. You can, and probably will, get inbound links to specific pages - with the keywords in the anchor text it gives a boost. So can keyword rich anchor text internally with site navigation (where possible), which some people rely on very heavily, and which can be done using a keyword rich site map.

Another possibility is FAQ pages - with official sanction, but in simple, keyword rich and easy to understand language. As a public service for citizens. ;)

Another reaso for those: It looks like the dynamic pages get crawled, by Google anyway - since they have PR showing. But smaller engines may not have that capability, and to reach out to as many people as possible, some non-dynamic pages with just .aspx or .htm file extension would be accessible to all, and easy to find and index if they're linked from the homepage and/or other pages that get frequent crawls.

Quick on_the_fly run-down of on_the_page elements:

> Page title - *very* important
> Meta description
> Meta keywords
> H1-H4
> Page text
> Keywords used in the first paragraph
> Keywords used at the beginning of sentence
> Bold
> Italic
> Keywords in anchor text of outbound links, even and especially to other pages within the site itself

Oh, there's more but that's a quick idea of the framework, just to illustrate how simple it really is. And you can see it really is simple, and not intimidating at all. When it's laid out in simple terms, it's a logical process - and it is simple. Then it's nothing more than digging in to find out the specifics, and while that's the most challenging part, it isn't a one-time thing; it's an on-going process - for all of us. That's what makes it so challenging and so much fun.

Added:
Did I mention that page titles are important? ;) Yours are all the same - it should be a simple matter to change those to reflect what each page is about, using keyword phrases at the beginning of the title. You do want a custom, individual title and meta tags for each page on the site.

[Nick W]

Gareth, in case you missed it, Nacho just wrote this superb Optimization 101 (http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?p=17505), once you've digested Maricas post, head on over to that one and create a new folder for your bookmarks! :)

Nick

[GARETH]

Thanks For The Help Guys :)