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  4. Should I delete Meta Keywords from a website?

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After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

Should I delete Meta Keywords from a website?

White Hat / Black Hat SEO
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  • Grant-Westfield
    Grant-Westfield last edited by May 21, 2014, 10:20 AM

    Hi Guys,

    I've been reading various posts on the Q&A section here at Moz about Meta keywords.

    I understand that meta keywords are not relevant with Google and that Bing signals this as spam.

    I'm optimising existing websites which already have meta keywords in the html coding.

    My question is:

    If I delete ALL meta keyword coding will this have any negative impact whatsoever?

    Thanks Mozers

    Jason 🙂

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • David-Kley
      David-Kley @KeriMorgret last edited by Feb 22, 2021, 6:09 PM Feb 22, 2021, 6:09 PM

      They have no shame when it comes to link spam LOL. You should know this by now. This person seems no different then the people that email blast cialis discounts.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • KeriMorgret
        KeriMorgret last edited by Feb 22, 2021, 5:16 PM Feb 22, 2021, 5:16 PM

        What about comment spam on seven-year-old posts? The links are all nofollow, FYI.

        David-Kley 1 Reply Last reply Feb 22, 2021, 6:09 PM Reply Quote 0
        • topic:timeago_earlier,6 years
        • samneo
          samneo last edited by Aug 28, 2014, 6:52 AM Aug 28, 2014, 6:52 AM

          HI all,

          I was about to embark on a meta keyword application exercise but now will refrain from it. All this was very informative, I was wondering whether to add them as not.

          I agree it will always  be content over keyword any day, hands down.

          Regards,

          Kamran

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • topic:timeago_earlier,3 months
          • KempRugeLawGroup
            KempRugeLawGroup @Grant-Westfield last edited by May 22, 2014, 3:10 PM May 22, 2014, 3:10 PM

            Try it now: http://moz.com/community/q/meta-keywords-should-we-use-them-or-not

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • Grant-Westfield
              Grant-Westfield @DeanAndrews last edited by May 22, 2014, 6:43 AM May 22, 2014, 6:43 AM

              Thanks Dean,

              I try to apply the same individual responses on Social Media. People take the time to respond individually and that warrants a personalised response.

              All too often this is a failing of businesses on Social Media.

              Jason 🙂

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • DeanAndrews
                DeanAndrews @Grant-Westfield last edited by May 22, 2014, 6:00 AM May 22, 2014, 6:00 AM

                Congratulations on your new position Jason.

                Also nice to see that you have responded to everyone who made a comment.

                Grant-Westfield 1 Reply Last reply May 22, 2014, 6:43 AM Reply Quote 1
                • Grant-Westfield
                  Grant-Westfield @DeanAndrews last edited by May 22, 2014, 5:09 AM May 22, 2014, 5:09 AM

                  Hi Dean,

                  Think content rather than keywords - spot on!

                  As I've only been in my job for 6 weeks, my fear is if I delete them it may have a negative impact on our search engine results.

                  So far deleting them is more likely than not.

                  I'll keep you informed of any impact this may have.

                  Thanks

                  Jason 🙂

                  DeanAndrews 1 Reply Last reply May 22, 2014, 6:00 AM Reply Quote 0
                  • Grant-Westfield
                    Grant-Westfield @David-Kley last edited by May 22, 2014, 5:05 AM May 22, 2014, 5:05 AM

                    Hi David,

                    So far I'm in favour of deleting them, but with your response I'm in a bit of a dilemma.

                    I agree with your premise that you should optimise for people and not search engines, also the point about not knowing how people reach your site.

                    The meta keywords is the last of my tasks as meta tags, title tags and other on page text has been fully optimised. However I am finding a direct correlation between meta keywords and search engine rankings. Our sites feature in the top 5 searches on Google but 30-40 on Yahoo and Bing. So after optimising all other areas of the websites, meta keywords seem to be the cause of this. So the sink is leaking somewhere.

                    I really appreciate your detailed response and will take some time ponder over my options.

                    Thanks

                    Jason 🙂

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • Grant-Westfield
                      Grant-Westfield @GPainter last edited by May 22, 2014, 5:00 AM May 22, 2014, 5:00 AM

                      Hi Chris,

                      Thanks for your reply. With your advice and the majority of responses to this post it seems like deleting them might be my best option.

                      If I delete them and it has a negative effect I'll keep you all informed!

                      Thanks

                      Jason 🙂

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • Grant-Westfield
                        Grant-Westfield @KevinBudzynski last edited by May 22, 2014, 4:58 AM May 22, 2014, 4:58 AM

                        Thanks for clarifying this Kevin.

                        Our websites ranks high (top 5) on Google but ranks around 30-40 on Yahoo and Bing so there does seem to be a direct correlation.

                        I think the very nature of meta keywords is stuffing, so I'm swaying on the side of deleting them altogether.

                        Thanks for your response.

                        Jason 🙂

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • Grant-Westfield
                          Grant-Westfield @evan89 last edited by May 22, 2014, 4:55 AM May 22, 2014, 4:55 AM

                          Thanks Evan 🙂

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • Grant-Westfield
                            Grant-Westfield @maxweb last edited by May 22, 2014, 4:55 AM May 22, 2014, 4:55 AM

                            Hi Mark,

                            I too analyse competitors websites in the same way, it helps me with SEO and copywriting.

                            This is one of the main reasons I want to delete them from our sites.

                            Thanks for your feedback.

                            Jason 🙂

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • Grant-Westfield
                              Grant-Westfield @benjaminmarcinc last edited by May 22, 2014, 4:50 AM May 22, 2014, 4:50 AM

                              Thanks Benjamin,

                              There certainly seems to be harm in leaving them when considering Bing. I've noticed that our websites all ranks within the top 5 searches on Google but Bing and Yahoo we don't fair so well.

                              I am hesitant to delete them as you rightfully point out, they may be important in the future.

                              Cheers

                              Jason 🙂

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • Grant-Westfield
                                Grant-Westfield @KempRugeLawGroup last edited by May 22, 2014, 4:42 AM May 22, 2014, 4:42 AM

                                Thanks for your response Ruben.

                                There's a few differing opinions on this thread so I'll take your advice and balance my options. Unfortunately the link you kindly provided cannot be found 😞

                                Thanks

                                Jason 🙂

                                KempRugeLawGroup 1 Reply Last reply May 22, 2014, 3:10 PM Reply Quote 0
                                • evan89
                                  evan89 @maxweb last edited by May 21, 2014, 9:21 PM May 21, 2014, 9:21 PM

                                  I agree with Mark on this one. As long as they are not stuffed, it may not be that big of a deal, but I don't include them.

                                  Grant-Westfield 1 Reply Last reply May 22, 2014, 4:55 AM Reply Quote 1
                                  • DeanAndrews
                                    DeanAndrews last edited by May 21, 2014, 12:02 PM May 21, 2014, 12:02 PM

                                    I also would suggest that you delete them as no search engine use them and as already suggested it gives your competitors a list of keywords that you are trying to optimise for.

                                    Think content rather than a list of keywords

                                    Grant-Westfield 1 Reply Last reply May 22, 2014, 5:09 AM Reply Quote 1
                                    • David-Kley
                                      David-Kley last edited by May 21, 2014, 11:57 AM May 21, 2014, 11:57 AM

                                      I am in favor of keeping them. One rule we live for is "Not optimizing only for Google, yahoo or any one specific platform"

                                      If the keywords are direct and well chosen, they will not hurt you. If not, its more than likely there are some other areas of your site that could use improvements as well. You never know how people will be getting to your site, or by what means they will get there. Removing something that is well structured, even if it's only used by a select few platforms is not a good idea IMHO.

                                      If they are stuffed, then yes, it would be a good idea to revise them, but not completely remove them. Is the keywords tag the most important factor? No, not by any means. i would take a hard look at your description and page titles before I would suggest worrying about keywords.

                                      A quote someone once told me about SEO "If my sink is leaking, I fix the leak. I don't throw away the whole sink, or go buy a new one, unless the old one cannot be repaired."

                                      Grant-Westfield 1 Reply Last reply May 22, 2014, 5:05 AM Reply Quote 0
                                      • GPainter
                                        GPainter last edited by May 22, 2014, 5:00 AM May 21, 2014, 11:57 AM

                                        The short answer is no - it will have no negative impact.

                                        Grant-Westfield 1 Reply Last reply May 22, 2014, 5:00 AM Reply Quote 1
                                        • KevinBudzynski
                                          KevinBudzynski last edited by May 22, 2014, 4:59 AM May 21, 2014, 11:29 AM

                                          No problem deleting them. Google and Yahoo does not use it as a ranking factor. Also, if stuffed could impact your rankings on Bing who uses as a spam signal.

                                          Grant-Westfield 1 Reply Last reply May 22, 2014, 4:58 AM Reply Quote 3
                                          • maxweb
                                            maxweb last edited by May 22, 2014, 4:58 AM May 21, 2014, 11:14 AM

                                            When I'm doing keyword research, one of the first things I do is go on competitor websites and see if they have the meta keyword tag. If they do, then it instantly gives me access to all the keywords that they're targeting and allows me to work on beating them. Deleting your meta keyword tag prevents your competitors from doing this to you.

                                            evan89 Grant-Westfield 2 Replies Last reply May 22, 2014, 4:55 AM Reply Quote 4
                                            • benjaminmarcinc
                                              benjaminmarcinc last edited by May 21, 2014, 11:12 AM May 21, 2014, 11:12 AM

                                              I would keep them, i even still use them with sites I'm building now because even though one search engine says they don't use them maybe another will and who knows if and when they will be important again. In my opinion no harm no foul. I leave mine.

                                              Grant-Westfield 1 Reply Last reply May 22, 2014, 4:50 AM Reply Quote 1
                                              • KempRugeLawGroup
                                                KempRugeLawGroup last edited by May 21, 2014, 10:39 AM May 21, 2014, 10:39 AM

                                                Hi Jason,

                                                This thread is from a couple of years ago, but it still holds true: http://moz.com/community/q/meta-keywords-should-we-use-them-or-nothttp://moz.com/community/q/meta-keywords-should-we-use-them-or-not

                                                Before you do anything, wait for a second, third, and, maybe even, fourth opinion, but deleting all your meta keywords should not change your rankings in google at all...and it might even help your rankings in Bing...but it certainly won't hurt you.

                                                • Ruben
                                                Grant-Westfield 1 Reply Last reply May 22, 2014, 4:42 AM Reply Quote 1
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