Definition

The meta keywords tag is an HTML `<meta name="keywords">` element that was once used to list the terms a page wanted to rank for. Google has publicly stated it does not use this tag as a ranking signal in web search.

Google announced in 2009 that its web search ranking does not use the keywords meta tag, noting the tag had become a target for keyword stuffing and was an unreliable signal. The tag is still valid HTML and some other tools or internal site-search systems may read it, but for Google organic ranking it carries no weight. It should not be confused with the meta description tag, which Google may use to generate a result's snippet.

Examples

• Legacy markup

  An older page includes `<meta name="keywords" content="running shoes, trainers, sneakers">`. Google ignores this tag when ranking the page in web search.

• Distinguishing from description

  A site removes its unused keywords meta tag but keeps a well-written meta description, since only the latter can influence the snippet Google shows.

Sources

• Google Search Central Blog — Google does not use the keywords meta tag in web ranking

Related terms

• Meta Description
  A short HTML attribute summarising a page, often used by search engines as the snippet shown beneath a result's title.
• Title Tag
  The HTML `<title>` element on a page. Google often uses its content to generate the clickable headline (the "title link") in search results.
• Keyword Stuffing
  Filling a page with keywords or numbers in an attempt to manipulate Google Search rankings.

Where QueryCatch uses this

• Meta Title Optimisation
• Page Optimisation