The Sticky for Meta Description, keywords, keyword density, and title tags

[ClickyB]

i have also a website and its is not optimized having no meta keywords no meta descriptions i want to optimize it.

open social factory

Now you've read the thread you'll know that neither of those are necessary...
Just go ahead and optimize it

[leonle]

I want to know the basics of meta and the keywords help me,the stuffs around here is lot confusing.I am a newbie and I want to promote my site.help me.

[fathom]

I want to know the basics of meta and the keywords help me,the stuffs around here is lot confusing.I am a newbie and I want to promote my site.help me.

The Basics Of Meta Tags - Meta Description & Meta Keywords

Ignore [originally a typo] everything ever written about them... move on to other topics.

[DarrenPrice]

Yes i am also guilty of mentioning meta tags and not reading these posts before dishing out advice... Jesus, people didnt like it I got a right good roasting. I think it would have been a good idea to have some kind of message when i signed up that I couldnt ignore because I did do some reading around and just from the posts that I saw I gathered that it was ok to mention these things. How wrong i was !!

[andyhuk]

Hi everyone. Loved the argument it was quite entertaining.

Ok I agree that by using the meta description to control the look of the SERP you are only doing so for your few chosen KW's and every other term/phrase that you get an impression for, google then creates its own description anyway. And as your examples show these are created from your content. If your content isnt optimized then you get a piss poor description and it harms your CTR (for those terms).

But is it possible to optimize your content for every different search term your getting impressions for? Can you really cover all the bases? Shouldnt you focus on those that have a high CTR and conversion rates?

[fathom]

Hi everyone. Loved the argument it was quite entertaining.

Ok I agree that by using the meta description to control the look of the SERP you are only doing so for your few chosen KW's and every other term/phrase that you get an impression for, google then creates its own description anyway. And as your examples show these are created from your content. If your content isnt optimized then you get a piss poor description and it harms your CTR (for those terms).

But is it possible to optimize your content for every different search term your getting impressions for? Can you really cover all the bases? Shouldnt you focus on those that have a high CTR and conversion rates?

Is it possible? Yes - Absolutely! That's the underlying point here.

Here's what Meta experts can't tell you...

"You can't fix what you can't find". ...and

"You can't control what you can't measure".

THEY will tell you that Meta improves something without really investigating the problem that they say needs improving.

If you have a leaky roof adding a plastic tarp might make sense for a short term fix - but that isn't a "solution" it's a hack job. Re-organizing the website's architecture, nav bars, style sheet are "real solutions"... that "PREVENT BAD SNIPPETS" and if your sole rational for Meta Descrption is to hide poor snippets... surely a "full-time solution" beats a "quick fix".

THEY also say CTR is improved but if you ask for the data that proves that assumption [ya know - those controls I mentioned that actually measure something] they don't exist... they "ASSUME" that CTR is improved... they don't know this... and while I have tested and re-tested to see "no appreciable change in CTR"... the examples I've used to show that Google does a worse job in description creation when you provide it alternative resources to pool literary text... these suggest "if" poor description prevent clicks... your Meta Description harms your overall CTR - but because you don't get those clicks... you're oblivious to the outcome.

Bottomline... EVERYONE that ever tested this with an unbiased stance... agrees with me... and the ones that don't... are happy to continue assuming they have the best model.

[mynotion]

Something share about my Meta Tag methodology.

For a basic SEO (On Site Optimization)

For instance I have 2 primary keywords and 4 secondary kewords.

I will put:
minimum 1 primary keywords and 1-2 Secondary keywords on <Title>
minimum 2 primary keywords and 3-4 Secondary keywords on <Description>
minimum 1 primary keywords on body <H1>
minimum 3 secondary keywords on body <H2> or <H3>
On start of the body content 1 Primary
At the middle of the body content mix 2-4 secondary keywords
At the end of body content 1 Primary

Correct me if I am wrong.

[fathom]

Correct me if I am wrong.

Well... once you get all your pages up... separate your traffic according to "what you want" and "what your traffic wants"... and if you have 100,000 on the former and only a few on the latter... you could be right.

I'm willing to bet (fixed typo) the latter is more than the former - it doesn't matter what phrases you want it only matter what phrases searchers type in, find you, and jump over because you ignored the listing appeal for everyone.

My question is "why use a Meta Description at all?"

If your answer is to force an appealing listing... you are not; for most of your potential visitors.

If your answer is for better CTR... that requires "evidence" in support... thus tracking and the moment you start tracking this you soon realize... "it isn't that simple".

I would say "if anything" you reduce your CTR but that "assumption" requires knowledge of how many "did not click" as oppose to those that did... and this isn't as easy to determine without the search engine exacting data.

[desperateboy]

Meta tag is imp in website.The other imp things title and keyword density used wisely.

[JagNet]

Meta tag is imp in website.The other imp things title and keyword density used wisely.

I assume that you're just repeating what you've previously heard is important without even going to the trouble of first reading this (and many other) threads on the topic.

If you're going to counter the arguments put forward, then at least put forward some arguments as to why they're wrong, rather than just stating it as fact.

[neville]

The only meta tag which is accepted by Google is the description which is used in SERP for page description,if not find he checks ODP

[SEO_AM]

Neville... What you are saying is half the story. Google will take a snippett from your content that, determined by their algo, is the most relevant description. For this reason most knowledgeable SEOs do not use the description META. It will restrict you to too few keywords. Using no description META expands the potential for matching your primary keywords along with untold number of longtail query matches within your total page content.

[bkraz]

Wow this thread is great. A real eye opener for me and was entertaining as well. I had heard before that some people were completely ignoring or removing the meta description tag... and I summarily dismissed it. Now, I am wondering if it's possible or even the smart way to go depending on the content on the site.

I've only done work for catalog sites that basically only sell commodity type goods (electronics, toys, games, etc) and so the great majority of the content that is out there is very similar and/or repetitive, and the overwhelming majority of the search queries potential customers use to find businesses or product information are also nearly identical and are made up of keywords/phrases that are going to appear in all of the competition's content in the space (commodity model number, for example). And in those examples, I have a hard time thinking that meta description tags should be removed. It seems to me that you need to have a relevant and attractive "sign" out there for searchers to look at. Hopefully that "sign" has the right relevant content on it that catches a potential customer in the right frame of their buying cycle. I certainly could be wrong, but this is very commonplace amongst retailers with catalog sites and the more commodity-like the product being retailed is the more I see this.

However, on content-rich, unique web pages - even if they are held within a commodity based catalog site - I can clearly see the opportunity to let google use the search query to check for the relevant content to display to the user.

This would also seem to highlight the need for retailers - and maybe ESPECIALLY retailers - to add unique, content-rich pages to their sites and/or content that can be added within the generally repetitive catalog pages.

Interesting stuff to say the least.

[fathom]

This would also seem to highlight the need for retailers - and maybe ESPECIALLY retailers - to add unique, content-rich pages to their sites and/or content that can be added within the generally repetitive catalog pages.

Interesting stuff to say the least.

Since a meta description neither adds nor subtracts from ranking value "AND" only adds appealing value for terms fully used in the Meta Description... it makes absolutely no sense to use it for the purposes that people calim it is useful for (and for all of them I can say with absolute certainty than blindly use them - they don't prove or disprove their value...

However, it also makes little sense to fill a "buy page" with informational content so to making appealing listings to all searchers at the expense of buyers becoming detracted.

I've often said "ask the right question, you get the right answer"... you're the closest I've seen...

<body><noscript>add unique, 1000 word wordsmith content-rich information that cover a multitude of queries</noscript>

Much like adding contextual value to a flash applet so to ensure contextual information is available... this is equally beneficial to a "buy page" that you don't wish to plaster with text... you only want enough text for buyer's to make a buying decision...

Because the content is "first"... it trumps all design issues.

[neville]

Neville... What you are saying is half the story. Google will take a snippett from your content that, determined by their algo, is the most relevant description. For this reason most knowledgeable SEOs do not use the description META. It will restrict you to too few keywords. Using no description META expands the potential for matching your primary keywords along with untold number of longtail query matches within your total page content.

Yeah, you're right and I'm sorry that I forgot to mention this. My mistake