알레오 위키wiki
/Meta Keywords
📘Concept

Meta Keywords

최종 업데이트:

Definition

Meta Keywords are meta tags inserted in the HTML <head> section, listing page keywords separated by commas.

<meta
  name="keywords"
  content="SEO, search engine optimization, keyword research, on-page SEO"
/>

They were important in early search engines of the 1990s, but major search engines discontinued their use as signals one by one due to spam abuse.

Summary

Conclusion: Writing meta keywords for Google SEO is a waste of time. Google has ignored meta keywords since 2009. There is no need to remove existing ones. Invest SEO time in meta descriptions, title tags, and content quality.

History of Meta Keywords

1990s: Core Search Engine Signal

Early search engines (AltaVista, Excite, Infoseek) used meta keywords as primary indexing signals. They were the official method for describing page topics, recommended in all webmaster guides.

2000s: Spam Abuse and Declining Effect

Once it became known that search engines trusted meta keywords, illegal keyword stuffing spread. Practices like inserting competitor brand names in meta keywords to hijack traffic also emerged. Search engines began lowering meta keyword weight one by one.

2009: Google Official Discontinuation

In September 2009, Google announced on its official blog that "Google does not use the keywords meta tag in web ranking."

Present: Search Engines Beyond Google

  • Bing: Officially discontinued meta keyword signal use in 2011
  • Yandex: Known to reference them in limited ways (unofficial)
  • Baidu: Reports suggest some level of reference remains (difficult to verify)

Why Google Abandoned Meta Keywords

Unverifiable Self-Reported Data

Meta keywords are entered by site owners themselves. Google has no way to verify this data's accuracy. Directly evaluating content quality is more accurate.

Competitor Brand Name Abuse

Many sites included competitor brand names in meta keywords to appear in unrelated search results. This degraded user experience.

Emergence of Better Signals

More reliable ranking signals developed: link analysis (PageRank), content quality evaluation, user behavior signals, etc.

Meta Keywords vs Currently Valid Meta Tags

[COMPARISON_TABLE: Meta keywords (deprecated) vs currently important meta tags]

Meta Keywords (No Effect for Google SEO)

<meta name="keywords" content="SEO, search optimization, keywords" />
  • Google: Ignored
  • Bing: Ignored
  • Effect: None

Meta Description (Still Important)

<meta name="description" content="Complete guide to SEO for beginners..." />
  • Google: Not a direct ranking signal; affects SERP snippet display
  • User CTR: Direct impact
  • See Meta Description for details

Meta Robots (Technical SEO Core)

<meta name="robots" content="noindex, nofollow" />
  • Google: Directly used for crawl/index control
  • Importance: Very high

Open Graph Tags (Social Media)

<meta property="og:title" content="Page title" />
<meta property="og:description" content="Page description" />
  • Search ranking: No direct impact
  • Social share preview: Direct impact

The Only Situation Where Meta Keywords Should Be Written

Yandex-Targeted Sites

For Russian-language sites or where Yandex traffic matters, writing meta keywords does no harm. However, Yandex also prioritizes content quality over meta keywords.

Internal Search Systems

Some enterprise internal portals, CMS, and digital asset management (DAM) systems use meta keywords for internal search indexing. If operating such systems, they may be written for internal search purposes.

Internal Tags for Content Management

Meta keywords may be used for internal classification by content teams, not external search engines. This serves CMS workflow purposes, not SEO.

What to Do Instead of Meta Keywords

Title Tag Optimization

Place primary keywords in the front of the title. See Title Tag for details.

Meta Description Optimization

Improve CTR with descriptions that drive clicks. See Meta Description for details.

Natural In-Content Keyword Placement

Include keywords naturally in H1, H2, first body paragraph, and image alt text.

URL Slug Optimization

Use short, clear URLs containing keywords. See URL Slug for details.

Application in the Korean Market

Meta Keywords in the Korean SEO Industry

Some older Korean SEO guides or CMS settings still include meta keyword fields. Both Google and Naver do not use meta keywords as ranking signals. Naver evaluates content with its own algorithm; optimization through meta keywords has no effect.

Meta Keywords in WordPress

Yoast SEO and Rank Math do not provide or hide meta keyword input fields by default. This is because Google does not use them. There is no need to seek them out and fill them in.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Should I remove meta keywords from existing sites?
A. Removal is unnecessary. Google ignores them, so they do no harm. However, if competitor brand names are included in meta keywords, cleaning up is advisable due to trademark dispute potential.

Q. Can't competitors see which keywords my site targets through meta keywords?
A. Yes. Meta keywords are visible to anyone in HTML source, potentially exposing strategic keywords. Not writing them is better if you want to avoid this.

Q. Is there a possibility Google will use meta keywords again someday?
A. Very low. Google abandoned meta keywords due to spam prevention and the existence of better signals. As long as more reliable content quality signals and link analysis exist, there is no reason to return to self-reported data like meta keywords.

Q. Is meta description still important?
A. Yes. Meta description is not a Google ranking signal but displays in SERP snippets and directly affects CTR. Do not confuse it with meta keywords.

Q. Does Naver use meta keywords?
A. Naver official guidelines contain no meta keyword content, and there is no official announcement of use as a ranking signal. Naver SEO is based on content quality, C-Rank (trust), backlinks, etc.

Sources

관련 항목

📙How-to
Indexing Coverage Diagnosis
Indexing coverage diagnosis uses the GSC indexing report to check overall site indexing status, identify causes of unindexed pages, and fix them — a core SEO task.
📘ConceptPillar
GEO Master Guide: 5-Area Checklist
An execution guide for Generative AI Optimization covering GEO's five areas: content, structure, technical, off-site, and measurement.
📘ConceptPillar
What Is AEO?
AEO is the practice of optimizing content so AI answer engines cite it.
📙How-to
Keyword Mapping
Keyword mapping is a strategic document that assigns one primary keyword and related secondary keywords to each URL, serving as a core tool for preventing cannibalization and discovering content gaps.
📙How-to
H Tag Hierarchy Design
H tag hierarchy design is the practice of arranging H1–H6 headers in semantic order to clarify page structure and improve LLM chunk extraction and accessibility.
📘Concept
Meta Description
A meta description is a page summary tag displayed in search results. It is not a direct ranking signal, but it influences click-through rate (CTR).
📘ConceptPillar
Title Tag
A title tag is the title element in the HTML head—a core on-page SEO signal that identifies pages in search results and AI answers.
📘ConceptPillar
URL Slug
A URL slug is the string forming the path after the domain in a web page address. SEO best practices include keyword inclusion, hyphen use, lowercase, and short, clear structure.

이런 항목도 있어요

📘Concept
Meta Description
A meta description is a page summary tag displayed in search results. It is not a direct ranking signal, but it influences click-through rate (CTR).
📘ConceptPillar
Title Tag
A title tag is the title element in the HTML head—a core on-page SEO signal that identifies pages in search results and AI answers.
📙How-to
H Tag Hierarchy Design
H tag hierarchy design is the practice of arranging H1–H6 headers in semantic order to clarify page structure and improve LLM chunk extraction and accessibility.
📘ConceptPillar
URL Slug
A URL slug is the string forming the path after the domain in a web page address. SEO best practices include keyword inclusion, hyphen use, lowercase, and short, clear structure.
이 페이지가 도움이 됐나요?