Meta Keywords in SEO: What They Are and Why You Should Avoid Using Them

Introduction

In the ever-evolving world of search engine optimization (SEO), strategies that were once considered essential are now outdated. One such element is the meta keywords tag. Once a staple in web development, meta keywords were believed to help pages rank higher in search engine results. Today, however, they’ve lost nearly all of their value—and in some cases, using them can actually hurt your SEO performance.

In this blog, we’ll explore what meta keywords are, why they’ve fallen out of favor, how modern search engines treat them, and what effective keyword strategies you should use instead.

What Are Meta Keywords in SEO?

Meta keywords are a type of meta tag used in a website’s HTML code to specify the main topics or focus keywords of a webpage. The idea was simple: by listing keywords relevant to your content, search engines would better understand your page’s subject and rank it accordingly.

The syntax for meta keywords looks like this:

html

This line of code is placed in the <head> section of your webpage, along with other metadata like the title tag and meta description. Here’s how it might appear in full context:

html

<head>

<title>Best Running Shoes for Women</title>

</head>

The intention was to help search engines identify what the page was about quickly and clearly. You may also hear meta keywords referred to as “metadata keywords” or “meta tag keywords.”

But over time, things changed. And not for the better.

Why You Should Avoid Using Meta Keywords

While meta keywords were once helpful, they’re now largely ignored or even penalized by search engines. Here’s why you should avoid using them in modern SEO practices:

➤ No Ranking Benefits in Major Search Engines

The biggest reason to skip meta keywords? Google doesn’t use them at all when determining search rankings. This has been officially confirmed by Google’s own engineers. Bing also doesn’t count them as a ranking factor and may treat excessive usage as spam.

➤ Outdated and Potentially Harmful

Search engines are much more sophisticated today. Algorithms have evolved far beyond needing simple keyword lists to understand page content. Relying on meta keywords is like trying to send a text via fax—it’s outdated, inefficient, and irrelevant.

➤ Detailed Reasons to Avoid Meta Keywords

1. Modern Search Algorithms Don’t Need Them

Search engines like Google use natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, and artificial intelligence to understand content contextually. They analyze sentence structure, semantics, user behavior, and hundreds of other signals—meta keywords simply aren’t necessary anymore.

2. History of Abuse and Manipulation

When meta keywords were popular, many website owners began abusing them—adding irrelevant or excessive keywords to manipulate search rankings. This led search engines to devalue or entirely ignore this tag.

3. Risk of Being Penalized for Keyword Stuffing

Especially in Bing, stuffing keywords into the meta tag is considered a spammy tactic. If Bing detects keyword stuffing, your page might be flagged, which could harm your overall visibility.

4. Your Competitors Can See Your Strategy

Meta keywords are visible in your page’s source code. This means competitors can easily examine your keywords and replicate your strategy—something no marketer wants to deal with.

5. Time Wasted on a Dead Tactic

Creating, managing, and optimizing a meta keywords list takes time. That time is better spent on strategies that do work—like content creation, link building, or technical optimization.

How Major Search Engines Treat Meta Keywords

To understand just how irrelevant meta keywords are, here’s a breakdown of how major search engines handle them:

Search Engine	Meta Keywords Usage
Google	Not supported at all
Bing	Ignored; may be flagged as spam if misused
Yahoo	Very weak signal
Yandex	Very weak signal
Baidu	Likely unsupported
Naver	Likely unsupported

As you can see, across the board, meta keywords offer no real advantage—and in some cases, they might even trigger negative responses from the algorithm.

4. Are There Any Valid Uses for Meta Keywords?

While meta keywords are essentially useless for SEO, they can be used in other limited contexts.

✔️ Internal Search Engines

Some websites, especially larger ones with complex internal search systems, may use meta keywords to enhance search results within their own platform. However, even for internal use, better tagging systems exist—like taxonomy or structured content filters.

✔️ Contextual Ad Networks

Certain legacy ad networks might use meta keywords to determine ad relevancy. But this is rare, and modern networks rely more on actual content and behavioral targeting.

❗ Better Alternatives Exist

Instead of relying on meta keywords, consider:

Structured data (schema markup): Helps search engines understand your content’s meaning.
Content tagging systems: Especially useful for internal organization and UX.
Modern CMS plugins: These offer smarter metadata handling and keyword integration.

The Right Way to Use Keywords for SEO

Now that we’ve established what not to do, let’s explore how to effectively use keywords in your SEO strategy. Keyword placement and context are everything.

✅ Where to Use Your Keywords

Here are the critical areas where your target keywords should appear:

Title Tags

Appears in browser tabs and search results.
The most important on-page SEO element.
Keep it under 60 characters and include your main keyword naturally.

Heading Tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.)

Headings break content into digestible sections.
Include relevant keywords in your H1 and H2 tags, but avoid stuffing.

Body Content

Your main content should use keywords naturally throughout.
Focus on topic relevance and user intent, not just keyword frequency.
Use synonyms, related phrases, and semantic variations.

Image Alt Text

Describes your images for accessibility and SEO.
Helps search engines understand visual content.
Include keywords where appropriate, but be descriptive and accurate.

Anchor Text

The clickable text in a hyperlink.
Use descriptive, keyword-informed anchor text to give context to the link.

💡 Tips for Smart Keyword Usage

Avoid overusing your primary keyword.
Use secondary and long-tail keywords to diversify content.
Write for users first, and optimize for search engines second.

Final Thoughts: Ditch Meta Keywords, Focus on Smart SEO

Meta keywords are a relic of the past. Not only do they offer no real SEO benefit, but they can also expose your strategy to competitors or even trigger spam penalties from search engines like Bing.

Instead of wasting time on outdated tactics, focus your efforts on modern, proven strategies:

Thoughtful keyword placement
High-quality, original content
Optimized technical SEO
Semantic SEO techniques
Structured data implementation

Search engines prioritize relevance, usability, and authority. By focusing on delivering real value through well-optimized content, you’ll naturally improve your rankings—no outdated tags required.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Are meta keywords still used in SEO today?

No, meta keywords are no longer used by major search engines like Google and Bing for ranking purposes. They have been deprecated because they were often abused and are now considered an outdated SEO practice.

2. Can using meta keywords hurt my website’s SEO?

Yes, in some cases. While Google ignores meta keywords, Bing may flag excessive use of them as spammy behavior. Including a long list of meta keywords could harm your site’s credibility and rankings on certain search engines.

3. Why did search engines stop supporting meta keywords?

Search engines stopped supporting meta keywords because of widespread abuse. Website owners used them to manipulate rankings by stuffing irrelevant or misleading terms. Search engines now use more advanced algorithms to analyze actual page content instead.

4. Are meta keywords visible to users?

No, meta keywords are not visible on the webpage itself. However, anyone can view them by checking the page’s source code, which means competitors can easily access your keyword list if you use them.

5. Do any search engines still use meta keywords?

Some smaller or regional search engines (like Yandex or Yahoo) may still treat meta keywords as a very weak signal, but the impact is minimal. For most modern SEO strategies, meta keywords are irrelevant.

6. Are there any situations where meta keywords are useful?

Meta keywords can sometimes be useful for internal site search functions or legacy content management systems. However, better alternatives like structured data or tagging systems are typically more effective and safer to use.

7. What should I use instead of meta keywords for SEO?

Use your target keywords naturally in:

Title tags
Heading tags (H1, H2, etc.)
Body content
Image alt attributes
Anchor text
Also, focus on creating helpful, high-quality content that satisfies user intent.

8. Can I just remove the meta keywords tag from my website?

Yes, and you should. Removing meta keywords will not negatively impact your SEO. In fact, cleaning up outdated tags is a good practice as part of SEO housekeeping.