META Keywords

[cclayton]

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Hi Guys,

Quick question... when adding Meta Keywords do you do it by single word or groups of wordings or both? What I mean is if you want to focus on the keyword "hotels in dublin" would you do:

"hotels, in, dublin,"
or
"hotels in dublin"
or
"hotels, in, dublin, hotels in dublin"

Sorry... but I have seen so many different approaches and wondered what is considored the most seo friendly approach.

Cheers, hope you are not having too dull a saturday... its peeing down outside so figured I would get optimising!!!

Clayts

[jamie07051975]

I don't think many search engines actually use them anymore and they're just really for you kee a track of what you are trying to aim at. You're best just getting your keywords into the domain name, the page name, the title, H1, h2, etc and body text inluding links

[renegade]

Some search engines do still take notice of your keyword metatags and it's good discipline to add them.
Don't include connecting words as separate keywords so "hotels in Dublin" OK, "hotels, in, dublin" not so good, bung in "Dublin hotels" if you like too.
It all depends what keywords you on page content features, no point adding keywords which aren't part of your page content. Ring the changes on your page to include Hotels in Dublin, Dublin Hotels, mix in a bold, italics, hyperlinks combo and you're on your way.
(There's a lot more too it than that but it is a black art and you need to experience first hand what works and what doesn't for yourself)

[cclayton]

Interesting that some engines dont use it anymore... I didnt realise that. I think I will keep them there as I am sure it wont act against me and I will also make the amendments renegade mentions. Thanks both!

[jamie07051975]

Which search engines still use them? I always put the keywords in but just so that use them in the content. I thought the major search engines Google, Yahoo and MSN no longer used them - may be wrong?

[Brendon]

Google don't, Y / MSN do, but give them low weight. If you've got 'em ,keep 'em, but don't sweat it. If you are doing it, I'd use the top 6 or so (tops) words for a page, comma separated

[MrCatz]

Meta's are still given value by yahoo. Read this resource: (taken from this source The Importance of Keywords Meta Tag in SEO )

Type the following into Google, Yahoo, and MSN only without the quotations, “dsrurejjnr“. This is a made up phrase that appears only in the keyword description tags of Real Good Furniture (take a look at the website’s source code). [note, some geocities spammy pages are listing it too]

Now look at the SERPS and notice that only in Yahoo does the site appear number one. It is not even listed on Google or MSN. The takeaway is that while the importance of this tag is minimal, Yahoo still gives it some weight.