What are meta keywords? How to use the meta keywords tag in SEO

When doing SEO, many SEOers focus on factors such as headings, meta descriptions and on-page content, and sometimes overlook the Meta Keywords tag. Although it no longer matters as much as it once did, anyone doing SEO should still understand it so they optimize in the right direction. So what are Meta Keywords, do they still affect search rankings, and how should you use them sensibly? In this article, MONA Media we'll look at the Meta Keywords tag more closely, and at how to optimize it for SEO today.

What are Meta Keywords?

The Meta Keywords tag is one of the tags in HTMLHTML, used to declare a page's keyword attribute to Google. This helps Google know what keywords your site contains and what the topic of the post or web page is. For that reason, this tag plays an important role in SEO.

The keywords tag is also not shown to users who visit the page. It is only visible to search engines.

Example: An article has the keyword “SEO là gì (What is SEO)”, and when you add a Meta Keyword to it, the content looks like this:

<meta name = SEO” content = “seo la gi, chuan SEO la gi, cach toi uu SEO”>

Where:

• The meta name field is “SEO” and is there to identify what this meta tag is about (in this example, SEO).
• The Content field holds details such as “: “What is SEO, SEO standards, How to optimize SEO” so Google knows exactly which topics the article is about.

Do Meta Keywords still matter for SEO?

No. Meta Keywords have almost no importance for SEO and no longer help a website improve its Google ranking. The tag was once used to declare a page's keywords, but because it was abused so much, search engines gradually dropped it from their ranking criteria.

Meta Keywords no longer matter because:

• The tag was heavily abused, especially through keyword stuffing to manipulate search results
• Many websites inserted unrelated SEO keywords, competitor keywords or too many variants of the same keyword, which made search results less accurate
• Search engines recognized that Meta Keywords are an easily manipulated signal that doesn't reflect the real quality of the content
• Google has publicly confirmed that it does not use Meta Keywords in its search ranking algorithm
• The tag also does not affect indexing or the ability to rank in Google Search
• In some cases, keyword stuffing in Meta Keywords can even be treated as a negative signal on certain search engines such as Bing

So instead of focusing on the Meta Keywords tag, businesses should prioritize content, site structure and user experience for more effective SEO.

≫ Read more: Keyword density how much is good for website SEO

How to check the Meta Keywords tag on a page

To check whether a page has declared a meta keywords tag, you can use the methods below.

Method 1: Use the SEOquake checking tool

• Step 1: Install the tool SEOquake in Chrome or Add-ons in Firefox.
• Step 2: Visit the website and check the meta keywords tag through the SEOquake extension at the top of the browser bar.
• Step 3: Choose the DIAGNOSISsection. Here you can track issues such as URL, Meta Description, Title, headings and more, which shows you the state of your website and helps you optimize and fix problems more effectively. The page's Meta Keyword tag is listed under Meta Keyword. If there isn't one, this field is left empty.

Method 2: Use View Page Source

• Step 1: Press the key combination Ctrl + U to view the page source.
• Step 2: Press the key combination Ctrl + F to open the page search box.
• Step 3: In the search box, type Meta Keywords. The keywords tag usually sits below the Meta Title and Meta Description.

How to enable the Meta Keywords tag in WordPress

The way to enable the Meta Keywords tag in WordPress described below applies to older versions. In current versions this tag has been removed.

In that case, on websites WordPress with the plugin Yoast SEO installed, the keyword field already exists but is hidden. To make it visible, take these steps:

• Step 1 – In the Yoast plugin, choose Dashboard, then Title & Meta and click Other.
• Step 2 – At the question “Use Meta Keyword tag” choose Enabled and click Save Changes.
• Step 3 – After saving, the tag will appear in Yoast SEO, below the field where you enter the post content.

That's the simple way to enable SEO Meta Keywords in WordPress, and we believe even beginners on the platform can do it. Once the meta key tag is on, you're probably wondering how to optimize Meta Keywords for SEO in practice. The next section from MONA will answer that question.

A simple way to optimize the Meta Keywords tag for SEO

To optimize the Meta Keywords tag effectively for SEO, do the following:

• Enter your keywords in the field. You can write several words, without Vietnamese diacritics, separated by commas.
• The keywords must include a main keyword and secondary keywords.
• Avoid repeating the same keywords across content pages, to avoid being penalized. Duplicate Contents.
• Also, don't get greedy with the number of keywords: 2-5 keywords is best, to avoid keyword spam.
• Avoid using long-tail keywords.

-> Read more: How to do SEO for a new website effectively: what beginners need to know

Things to note when adding Meta Keywords to your content

You can create Meta Keywords for SEO manually or with software. What matters is that the keywords you use to fill the Meta Keyword tag are related keywords closely related to the page in question.

Some important criteria for the number of keywords and their relevance when choosing keywords for the Meta Keywords tag:

• Misspellings in your Meta tag can show search engines that your page is related to misspelled search queries.
• Long-tail keywords Variants of the keyword are all worth keeping in mind.
• Real searches: the keyword intents that have brought users to your page so far can be useful keywords for your Meta Keyword list. To get these keywords, check your log files, pick the words people use to describe your business and add them to your content.

FAQ: What are Meta Keywords?

1, How does the Meta Keywords HTML tag work?

The Meta Keyword tag is used to declare the keywords a website has to Google. However, the meta key tag isn't shown on the web page and only appears in Search Engine.

2, Is the keywords tag a ranking factor?

It used to be treated as a ranking factor. Not any more: since SEOers abused this declaration to spam keywords, search engines have one by one removed the tag from their ranking factors.

3, Has Google ignored the Meta Keywords tag, and will it use it again?

There is no definite answer yet. Google might use this tag again in future, but it's very unlikely. Google has ignored the keywords meta tag for many years and has no reason to change that policy.

4, In which cases should you use Meta Keywords?

There are two cases where you should use the meta key: 

• Building an internal tagging system on your website: It helps you control the keywords on your site to avoid keyword cannibalization, prevents overlapping work and makes it easier to collaborate with other teams to improve content.
• Finding main keywords from competitors: To research and find the root keywords for your own website, you can look at the keywords meta tag on your competitors' home pages.

5, Is there an effective SEO alternative to the meta keywords tag?

Today the meta keywords tag is outdated and Google no longer uses it to rank websites. Focus instead on more important factors: quality SEO-standard content that matches what users are searching for, an optimized Title tag and Meta Description, a clear heading structure (H1–H6) and a durable linking system.

Meta Keywords are no longer a deciding factor in SEO, so a website that optimizes only this will struggle to get clear results. To raise rankings sustainably, a business needs a more complete SEO strategy, covering content, site structure, on-page technical work, user experience and the right keyword direction.

That is also why many businesses choose full-scope SEO services combined with AI-powered SEO services at MONA Media. Instead of following outdated factors, MONA builds an SEO roadmap suited to each website, improving visibility, increasing trust and supporting long-term growth. 

We building a specific strategy based on your customers' strongest needs. At the same time we carry out the plan with a clear full-scope SEO process through each stage, following the Google's algorithms. You can look at one of our successful SEO projects, Kim Khí Tiến Thành, below:

Please CONTACT US on the hotline 1900 636 648 if you need the SEO specialists from MONA to support your website.

We hope this post from MONA Media will help you understand what Meta Keywords are and why they matter. Even without Meta Keywords, Google still uses many other factors to judge your website's ranking. So keep exploring and learning about the latest SEO tools, and new SEO techniques, to apply them and get results as you build and grow your website.

-> See also:

• SEO trends – the SEO process that helps websites climb Google search rankings
• A detailed guide to building an SEO-friendly website, for beginners
• Details on reputable SEO training courses available today