Using the Meta Keywords tag
By Yelena Shapiro
What is a meta
keyword tag and why should I use it?
A meta keyword tag summarizes all the keywords that you would like
to be found under for search engines.
Meta tags are hidden in the document's source, invisible to the reader.
Some search engines, however, do see and use them as a part of their algorithm.
Engines do not penalize those who use meta tags properly, so it's recommended
that you always include them on your pages.
Here's an example
of what a meta keywords tag looks like:
<html>
<head>
<meta name="keywords" content="Your site's keywords
here">
</head>
</html>
The importance
of the meta keyword tag
Tell search engines which keywords you should be ranked high for with
the help of a meta keyword tag. Although not all search engines support
this tag, you should use it for the ones that do. Include all the
important keywords here.
Keywords in the
meta keyword tag
This is what the tag is all about! You don't have to come up with
any sentences; just list your keywords in the order of importance.
It is recommended that you repeat the same keyword 3-7 times.
Length of the meta
keyword tag
Search engines vary in size of meta tags. Go, for example, will accept
a meta keywords tag up to 1024 characters long, while Hotbot specifies
75 characters as their guideline.
This, however, is an unusual guideline. Usually, the meta keywords tag
is pretty large. We checked out some of Hotbot's top ranking pages in
various categories and found that many of them use meta keyword tags much
larger than 75 characters. Therefore, use 1024 characters as your guideline.
Avoid the use of
spam
Avoid repeating keywords more than 3-7 times; you can get penalized
for that. Repetitions up to 3 times are recommended, just don't place
them one after the other.
An Overview
Meta Keywords tag
- Provides a list of keywords
- Limit it to 1024 characters
- List keywords in order of importance
- Don't repeat the same keyword more than 7 times
Have
lots of images and need text for the spiders? ALT tags to the rescue
>>>
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