Meta Tags: 3 Common Mistakes
WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN CREATING META TAGS

Meta Tags: 3 Common Mistakes

1. Don't load your description with only keywords.

Some search engines will rank the page higher if you do (unless you're penalized for keyword stuffing), but remember that search engines that use the meta description show it in its search results under your site's title.

In those cases, the function of the meta description is to invite a click. It has to grab the attention of a human reader and convince her to click through to your site. A list of keywords might rank higher, but won't get the click. Make your meta tags keyword-rich, but focus on the human reader.

2. Don't use just one or two keywords and don't use a gazillion either.

Most major search engines now ignore the keywords meta tag. There are however many smaller and country-specific search engines where they still matter, so here's how...

Our own experiments suggest that some search engines penalize pages that use only one or two words in the keyword meta tag, probably in an attempt to sniff out doorway pages.

Besides, if you're only using one or two keywords, you're probably missing out on traffic by focusing too narrowly. Listing hundreds of keywords dilutes the keyword density, so you won't score well for any of them. Aim for about twenty keywords in your keyword meta tag.

Note that even search engines that still look at the meta keywords tag usually assign very little value to it in their ranking algorithms, so don't fuss too much about it.

3. Finally, don't rely on your meta tags alone.

Meta tags help, but they make up a small part of your total search engine strategy.

At the search engines that do take them into account, pages that do not have meta tags sometimes rank higher than pages with meta tags, confirming that meta-tags are not all that important. Use them, but in combination with other strategies.

If you haven't already, get yourself a copy of the Search Engine Yearbook. It is arguably the most complete reference book on search engines available. Click here to see the complete Table of Contents.