Keywords in Web Pages

 

I think putting keywords in web pages using META tags is fairly pointless as I don't think it helps with the search engines or anything else at all.

The main trouble with keywords is that they promote your view of the site and what you think your customers should be. But how many of your customers use your products in a way it was not intended? One of my products was written for a bookmaker and I have just sold several copies to the US Army in Iraq.

Often setting up the list of keywords takes a great deal of management time, as everybody argues about what should be on the list and what shouldn't. I was in one meeting which reminded me of the discussions held in the Middle Ages about how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.

Keywords also make all of your pages appear the same to the search engines. Now if you have a variety of products, this might mean that someone looking for something you do sell, will end up on a totally unrelated and irrelevant page.

So if you do use keywords they should be relevant to the page. For instance the Contact page on the site, should only contain the keywords "XXX Company contact", if it contains any at all, as these words should be contained within the page.

I have always found that the best keyword pages are case studies, where you describe how your products are used. These are obviously linked to the actual product pages, and your home page. Again do they need keywords.