Contents
Introduction
How does an algorithm know what a topic of particular page is? It just checks the Meta keyword and ascertains whether or not it is relevant to the content with page. This is just a meta tag that appears at the top of a page in source code of a page according to Marketingterms.com. It is different from a regular keyword because it only appears in the code, whereas a keyword appears on the page itself.When you are running a website and are optimizing it for the web, you need to ensure that Meta keyword and content is in tandem. A while back, there was this tendency for black-hat SEO practitioners to stuff irrelevant keywords in their Meta keyword in a bid to increase traffic to their website.
This unethical practice has since been rooted out with the strict search engine algorithms in the market today. These search engines are only interested in relevant and helpful content for their users.
In recent time, the use of Meta keywords has been slowly de-emphasized. More focus has shifted towards Meta Descriptions and Title Tags instead. At least with these, black-hat SEO practitioner cannot manipulate the system to drive traffic to their sites.
Although they do not carry as much weight as they did in past, Meta keywords still play part, a small one, in flocking people to your site, according to Metatags.org. It is a small but very important advantage. Below is a video which explores what Meta keywords are and how you can use them:
Should You Still Use Them On Your Site?
It is not a mandatory requirement. Google does not use them because they were open to abuse by site owners. These owners took advantage of this to get an unfair advantage over their competitors and relevant results that the searchers were looking for.According to Hookagency.com, Bing and other search engines, are reportedly still use them. However, no one truly knows for sure because search engines are very protective with their search algorithms. Bing, in particular, say that you can use them but only correctly. If you do not, they will penalize you severely.
Since most people rarely use them in their pages and some search engines reportedly still rely on them, it would be in your interest to use them as well. You will have an edge that no one else in ranking better.
How To Use Meta Keywords In Your Content
Before you embark on the process of using Meta keywords in your pages, you must first thoroughly research them. It is not enough to simply just choose random words in your niche and hope for the best.If you do, then you will be missing the point. Since this an edge that most people have chosen to ignore, use it well. You need to ensure that you choose relevant keywords and popular keywords.
In terms of numbers that you are allowed to use in single page, stick to a maximum of 10. You do not want to go overboard and appear as though you are stuffing keywords in the page.
Aside from relevance to what the searcher is looking for, you still need to put yourself in the shoes of the searcher. This means you need to take into consideration common misspellings, long-tail keywords and real searches.
Common misspellings need to be factored in because when the algorithms go over your pages and rank you. If the searcher misspells the query, it will still be relevant as Carrey Albright explores in her post in PPC Hero. The misspellings will not appear in the page itself of course, leaving your content flawless.
Long-tailed keywords are also important because they help narrow down the options for the searcher. Small variations and plurals need to be included to ensure that the scope of the potential keywords is as wide as possible.
Finally, real searches gleamed from analytics and log files will help you find all the relevant keywords that people looking for your business use. They will also help you spot the keywords your competitors are using as well. Use those insights gained to make your Meta keyword as relevant as possible.
How to Find Meta Keywords
A lot has been highlighted about the importance of relevance and how to optimally use Meta keywords in your search pages. If you are intent on using Meta Keywords, then you must craft a strategy that will help you identify the key Meta keywords that you will use in your search pages.This section will help you identify those ways you can use to identify the main Meta keywords you will use in your webpage source code.
The first tool you can use in your quest for the right keyword to put in your Meta keyword tag us the Google keyword planner. All you have to do with this one is just check your niche for the keywords used. Then you can group them in order of the most popular ones to use them in the source code.
You get to see the volumes of these keywords. It is up for you to choose the keyword you feel will serve your cause the best. However, Google have kept volumes to general ranges.
There are other tools that will give you very specific numbers about the volume and the most popular keywords. Joshua Hardwick of Ahrefs suggests the following, Google Trends, Answer the Public, Google Correlate, Keywords Everywhere, Wordtracker Scout and Google Search Console, just to mention a few.
Final Thoughts
Should you use Meta Keywords? The answer is undoubtedly yes but only correctly. Even if Google and other search engines do not use them, they should still be considered because they offer you an advantage over your competitors. However, you need to stick to the rules. Stay relevant and do not spam as Wordstream reiterate constantly on their post.Keep the keywords relevant to the content you produce or else you risk being censured and placed in oblivion. Proper use of this small tag must be maintained and that cannot be reiterated enough. This seemingly outmoded practice still has its uses and will have a hand in over results, albeit as small.
The tips mentioned above should work in your favor tremendously.