Update: How Valuable are META Keywords?

A few months ago we posted an article that referenced Google's initiative to begin ignoring the META keyword tag.  Within the past few months, we've received an update from Bing regarding their views of the META keyword tag.

Bing is actually taking this initiative a step further by using the META keyword tag to penalize websites which are abusing them.  Abuse of the META keyword tag has always been an issue, and it's to the point where the information within that tag can no longer be used to help search engines determine keyword relevance on a page.  Going forward, if Bing determines that a web page's META keywords do not apply directly to the content within the website, Bing will penalize that web page for "keyword stuffing".

So the next time you receive advice from someone about adding META keywords to your site, ignore them.  As the following article discusses, you are better off leaving META keywords completely blank rather than risking search engine penalties:

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