Meta keywords are a type of meta tag that were used in the past to help search engines understand the content of a web page. However, they have been largely deprecated by major search engines like Google, as they were often abused by spammers and could be misleading to users.
Today, Google and other search engines rely on more sophisticated methods to understand the content of a web page and determine its relevance to a user’s search query. This includes analyzing the content of the page, including the text, images, and other media, as well as external factors like links and social signals.
As a result, the importance of meta keywords in SEO has greatly diminished, and many experts advise against using them altogether. In fact, Google officially announced in 2009 that they do not use meta keywords as a ranking factor.
Instead of focusing on meta keywords, it’s important to ensure that your web pages have high-quality, relevant content that is optimized for your target keywords. This includes using descriptive titles and meta descriptions, including relevant keywords in the page’s content, and earning high-quality inbound links from other reputable websites.