question Meta keywords, a quick question

[Russkie]

Lads, I noticed that Google gives different results for 'register .wiki' and 'register wiki' queries. Does it make sense changing keywords accordingly (in METAs)? Fairly speaking, I did never use 'dot' in a keywords' line.

 

[enlytend]

Who still uses a keywords meta? Major search engines haven't paid attention to that in years.

You get different results because Google thinks the 2 queries have different intent.

 

[Russkie]

I use metas (and everything in head sections of the pages I create).
Question remains open.

 

[enlytend]

Google:
Google does NOT use the keywords meta for ranking.
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2009/09/google-does-not-use-keywords-meta-tag.html

Bing:

Today, it’s pretty clear the meta keyword tag is dead in terms of SEO value. Sure, it might have value for contextual ad systems or serve as a signal to ‘bots plying the web looking for topics to target, but as far as search goes, that tag flat lined years ago as a booster.

https://blogs.bing.com/webmaster/2014/10/03/blame-the-meta-keyword-tag/

May be used as a minor indexing signal by Yahoo (indexing only, not ranking), Yandex. So if traffic from those matters to you, put it in your keywords with and without the dot. But you were asking about Google.

 

[Russkie]

There are different views on everything related to SEO, I am not going to discuss them, it's time wasting. My position in brief: if a web page has elements which can be (hypothetically) used in SEO, I use them. I am a hand coder, and manual work is a pleasure to me.

The question remains open. Will a 'dot' (in META keywords) confuse Google?

 

[enlytend]

Won't confuse them because they ignore the tag for ranking purposes. Not just my opinion, Google themselves have officially announced that they no longer use it.
It was used extensively to spam in the past, which is why it was deprecated.

 

[Russkie]

Okay, but is it acceptable at all in keywords. We all use dots in meta description and these dots are recognisable by spiders. Did anyone use dots in keywords?

 

[enlytend]

Since it's separated by a comma, no reason a period should cause problems interpreting it.

W3C spec:
http://dev.w3.org/html5/spec-preview/the-meta-element.html#standard-metadata-names

 

[nomen]

@Russkie If you use meta keywords, Google ranks your site worse than without using them.

 

[Fliporium]

@Russkie If you use meta keywords, Google ranks your site worse than without using them.

I know that Google ignores the 'keywords' tag, but punishes a website for having them? Do you mean by overzealous keyword stuffing or with any sensible keyword tag use?

 

[nomen]

I know that Google ignores the 'keywords' tag, but punishes a website for having them? Do you mean by overzealous keyword stuffing or with any sensible keyword tag use?

Punishes if any. An indicator of an old, sucky site.

 

[JB Lions]

@Russkie If you use meta keywords, Google ranks your site worse than without using them.

That's just false. They don't use it for ranking, period. enlytend went over it above. Cite your sources.

 

[Fliporium]

Punishes if any. An indicator of an old, sucky site.

That's just false. They don't use it for ranking, period. enlytend went over it above. Cite your sources.

Personally I've never heard of that, that Google will punish a site in the SERPs for using the 'keywords' tag. I stopped using them because I'm lazy to do it, especially since Google doesn't look at them anymore.

I can see Google could maybe punish a site for doing old school Blackhatting keyword stuffing tricks just on principle though.

 

[nomen]

That's just false. They don't use it for ranking, period. enlytend went over it above. Cite your sources.

This is what I read somewhere, a couple of years ago or so. Not gonna debate over it. I'm fine with them completely ignoring it, too.

 

[JB Lions]

This is what I read somewhere, a couple of years ago or so. Not gonna debate over it. I'm fine with them completely ignoring it, too.

There's nothing to debate, it's just false information. There is enough of it here already, it's not helpful to add to it, especially without linking to the source. Whatever site you read that from, is probably a mess of misinformation.

 

[nomen]

There's nothing to debate, it's just false information. There is enough of it here already, it's not helpful to add to it, especially without linking to the source.

Got it.

 

[nomen]

But yeah, I'll take it back. It was Bing, not Google.

 

[nidhivyas]

Meta keyword is most important of on page activity in the seo.
Mete keyword used for the website ranking is high in the google.