When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), there are dozens of on-page elements that can influence your rankings—from page titles to internal linking. But there’s one HTML tag that no longer plays a role in your SEO success: meta keywords.
Once considered a key element of SEO strategy, meta keywords have been outdated for years. Yet, many website owners and beginner marketers still ask: “Should I add meta keywords to my pages?”
The short answer? No.
In this article, we’ll explore what meta keywords are, why they no longer impact search rankings, and what you should focus on instead.
What Are Meta Keywords?
Meta keywords are a type of meta tag—HTML snippets that describe the content of a webpage to search engines. Specifically, the <meta name="keywords" content="..."> tag was used to list important keywords that a page should rank for.
For example:
This tag was meant to tell search engines what the page was about so they could rank it accordingly.
Why Meta Keywords Were Abandoned
1. Abuse and Keyword Stuffing
In the early days of the web, search engines relied heavily on metadata to determine a page’s topic. But this opened the door for keyword stuffing—people would cram dozens or even hundreds of keywords into the tag, hoping to rank for as many terms as possible.
Some websites even included competitors’ brand names or unrelated popular keywords to game the system.
This led to poor search results and a growing need for smarter ranking methods.
2. Search Engines Got Smarter
Over time, search engines developed more sophisticated algorithms. Google began focusing on page content, user behavior, and natural language processing instead of relying solely on metadata.
As a result, Google officially stopped using meta keywords as a ranking factor all the way back in 2009.
Bing followed suit shortly after. Even though some smaller or obscure search engines might still read the tag, their impact is negligible and irrelevant to modern SEO strategy.
3. No Transparency or Accountability
Unlike other tags like the title or meta description—which are visible in search results—meta keywords are invisible to users. This lack of visibility made them easy to abuse, with no direct user impact, so search engines saw little value in keeping them relevant.
What Google Says About Meta Keywords
Google has been very clear: they ignore the meta keywords tag entirely.
In fact, Matt Cutts, Google’s former head of webspam, released a video years ago confirming that Google doesn’t use meta keywords at all when determining rankings.
Today, Google’s SEO documentation makes no mention of meta keywords in its ranking guidelines or best practices. If you include them, they won’t hurt your rankings—but they won’t help either.
Are There Any Exceptions?
In some rare cases, content management systems (CMSs) or internal search engines might use meta keywords for categorization or filtering. But this is the exception, not the rule.
If you’re building a site from scratch or using a modern CMS like WordPress, Wix, or Shopify, you won’t need meta keywords for SEO purposes.
Instead, you should focus on elements that actually influence search visibility and user experience.
What to Focus on Instead of Meta Keywords
If you want to improve your SEO in 2025 and beyond, here’s what you should spend your time on:
✅ Title Tags
Your page title still has significant SEO value. It should be clear, relevant, and include your target keyword naturally.
✅ Meta Descriptions
While not a ranking factor, a well-written meta description can boost your click-through rate in search results—an important engagement signal.
✅ Header Tags (H1, H2, H3…)
These help organize your content and make it easier for both users and search engines to understand. Include relevant keywords where appropriate.
✅ Page Content
Create high-quality, helpful content that answers user questions and aligns with search intent. This is the single most important ranking factor today.
✅ URL Structure
Clean, keyword-rich URLs (e.g., /seo-tips) are more effective than long strings of random characters.
✅ Internal Linking
Linking to related pages on your site helps search engines crawl your site more efficiently and improves user navigation.
✅ Mobile-Friendliness and Speed
Google ranks mobile-first, and slow websites can hurt your rankings. Use responsive design and optimize page load times.
Do Meta Keywords Hurt Your SEO?
In most cases, no. Meta keywords are simply ignored by search engines. However, in competitive niches, they could give away your strategy to competitors who view your page source.
So while they don’t negatively impact your rankings directly, they may reveal more than you intend.
For that reason, many SEO professionals leave the tag out entirely.
Conclusion: Let Meta Keywords Rest
Meta keywords were once useful—but the SEO world has evolved. Today’s algorithms are much more sophisticated, analyzing actual content, user intent, and engagement signals.
Adding meta keywords won’t harm your SEO, but they offer no benefits either. So rather than waste time on outdated tags, invest in what truly matters: valuable content, technical SEO, and a great user experience.
If you want to succeed in modern search results, focus less on what search engines used to care about—and more on what they prioritize today.
Also, you can learn more about SEO Myths Debunked here.