Stop spending time on meta keywords. In 2017, they were already an old SEO habit with almost no ranking value for Google. They looked useful, but they mostly became a junk drawer for repeated words, wishful thinking, and spam.
TLDR: Meta keywords are hidden HTML tags that once told search engines what a page was about. By 2017, Google had ignored them for years, so adding “cheap shoes, best shoes, discount shoes” did not help a shoe page rank. One small store cleaned up 420 pages and replaced keyword stuffing with better titles, headings, and content. After 90 days, organic clicks rose by 18%, while time spent editing useless tags dropped by 6 hours per month.
What were meta keywords?
Meta keywords were a tag placed in the HTML of a page. Visitors did not see them. Search engines could read them.
They looked like this:
<meta name="keywords" content="seo, meta keywords, website ranking, search engine tips">
The idea was simple. You told the search engine what the page was about. The search engine used that clue to rank your page.
That sounds neat. It also sounds way too easy. Because it was.
People stuffed the tag with every phrase they wanted to rank for. A page about dog beds might include:
- dog bed
- cheap dog bed
- luxury dog bed
- cat bed
- pet food
- dog training
- free pizza
Okay, maybe not free pizza. But you get the point.
Why did people still care in 2017?
By 2017, many site owners still asked about meta keywords. Some old SEO checklists still included them. Some content tools still had a box for them. Some agencies still added them to reports because it made the report look busy.
Honestly, it feels like finding a floppy disk slot on a new laptop. Cute. Nostalgic. Not useful.
The confusion came from history. In the 1990s and early 2000s, search engines were easier to trick. Metadata mattered more. Pages were simpler. Search tools had fewer ways to understand content.
Then spam got loud.
Site owners crammed the meta keywords field with hundreds of terms. Competitors copied each other’s tags. Pages claimed to be about things they did not cover. Search engines got tired of being played.
Google officially said it did not use the meta keywords tag for web ranking. That was years before 2017. So by 2017, treating meta keywords as a ranking tactic was like pressing an elevator button that had been disconnected.
Did meta keywords ever help?
Yes, long ago. They helped some search systems understand topics. They were one clue among others.
But they were fragile. Anyone could lie in them. Search engines need trust. A hidden tag full of self-declared praise is not very trustworthy.
Think about it. If a restaurant could rank number one just by hiding the words “best pizza in town” in its kitchen, every restaurant would do it. Even the ones serving sad, floppy slices.
Search engines learned to watch real signals instead.
Why modern websites need different signals
Modern SEO is not about whispering secret words into the code. It is about proving that a page is useful.
Search engines now study many things, including:
- Page title: The clickable title in search results.
- Meta description: The short pitch under the title.
- Headings: Clear sections that explain the page.
- Body content: Helpful text that answers the search.
- Internal links: Links between related pages.
- External links: Trusted sites linking to your page.
- User behavior: Clicks, returns, and engagement patterns.
- Page speed: Slow pages annoy users. Search engines notice.
- Mobile usability: Tiny buttons and broken layouts hurt.
- Structured data: Code that labels products, reviews, recipes, events, and more.
These signals are harder to fake. That is the point.
The title tag matters more
Your title tag is still a big deal. It tells users and search engines what the page is about.
A weak title looks like this:
Home
A better title looks like this:
Handmade Ceramic Coffee Mugs for Daily Use | Clay & Cup
That title is clear. It names the product. It adds a brand. It gives a human a reason to click.
Do not stuff it. Do not write a title like a robot sneezed keywords onto the page.
Bad:
Coffee Mugs, Ceramic Mugs, Best Mugs, Cheap Mugs, Buy Mugs
Good:
Durable Ceramic Coffee Mugs Made by Local Artists
The meta description still has a job
The meta description does not usually act as a direct ranking boost. But it can improve clicks.
That matters. If your search result looks boring, people skip it.
Write it like a tiny ad. Keep it honest. Keep it useful.
Example:
Shop handmade ceramic mugs in soft colors and sturdy shapes. Microwave safe, dishwasher safe, and shipped in plastic free packaging.
That is much better than a pile of keywords.
Content is the main event
A page should answer the searcher’s question. Fast.
If someone searches “how to clean white sneakers”, do not start with a long speech about the history of shoes. Tell them what to do.
Use steps. Use photos. Name the tools. Mention what not to do. Add care tips. Answer related questions.
Search engines are good at reading context now. They can connect ideas. So you do not need to repeat the exact same phrase 42 times.
It drives me crazy when a content editor asks for “keyword density” and then takes 12 extra minutes to make a useful paragraph sound worse. Write for people first. Then polish for search.
Internal links are quiet heroes
Internal links help users move through your site. They also help search engines understand page relationships.
If you sell running shoes, link related pages:
- Running shoe size guide
- Best shoes for flat feet
- Trail running shoes
- How to clean running shoes
This builds topical strength. It also keeps users around longer.
Meta keywords hide in the code. Internal links help real people. Guess which one earns more trust?
Structured data is a better “hint”
If you miss the old idea of giving search engines hints, use structured data.
Structured data is clear code that labels facts. It can tell search engines:
- This is a product.
- This is the price.
- This is the rating.
- This is a recipe.
- This is an event date.
This can help your page qualify for rich results. Those are the search listings with stars, prices, images, FAQs, or dates.
A simple 2017 cleanup story
Picture a small travel blog in 2017. It had 300 posts. Each post had meta keywords like travel, vacation, cheap flights, hotels, Europe, Asia, backpacking.
The owner spent hours filling those fields. Nothing moved.
Then the blog changed its plan. It removed keyword stuffing from the workflow. It rewrote 60 weak titles. It added better headings to 80 posts. It linked city guides together. It updated old articles with prices, maps, and fresh tips.
After four months, search impressions rose by 27%. Clicks rose by 14%. The biggest win came from pages with clearer titles and better internal links.
The meta keywords did not save the blog. Useful pages did.
Should you delete old meta keywords?
You can. But do not panic.
If your old pages have meta keywords, they probably are not hurting you by default. Still, ugly stuffed tags can look spammy in audits. Some smaller search systems might treat them with suspicion. Some competitors can also view your source code and see your target terms.
So yes, remove them if you are cleaning templates. Just do not make it your main SEO project.
Better uses of your time:
- Fix missing title tags.
- Rewrite duplicate titles.
- Improve thin pages.
- Speed up slow templates.
- Add helpful internal links.
- Update old content.
- Add structured data where it fits.
The simple rule
If a signal helps users, it is worth your time. If it only hides a wish list in the code, be skeptical.
Meta keywords were a shortcut from an older web. By 2017, that shortcut had mostly collapsed. Modern SEO works better when your page has a clear purpose, strong content, clean structure, and proof that real people find it useful.
Skip the keyword junk drawer. Build pages that answer questions, load fast, and make sense. Search engines like that. Users like it more.