Does the meta keywords tag still hold any significance for SEO?

Why did Google abandon this tag?

The meta keywords tag was massively abused in the 2000s. Webmasters stuffed it with hundreds of unrelated keywords, creating a complete distortion between what the tag promised and what users found.

Google therefore decided to ignore it completely in its ranking algorithm. It's not that it is "devalued" or "unimportant" — it is literally absent from the page processing process. The crawler may read it, but it does not factor into any relevance calculation.

Does this decision impact other search engines?

Bing has long maintained an ambiguous position on the subject. Officially, they claim that the tag can serve as a negative signal if it is stuffed with spam, but it offers no positive benefit.

Yandex and Baidu have also stated that they do not rely on this tag for ranking. In other words, even if you target non-English speaking markets, this tag remains useless in 99% of cases. Only a few ultra-minor search engines might still use it, but their market share is negligible.

What is the difference with the meta description?

The meta description is also not counted as a direct ranking factor, but it plays a crucial role in the click-through rate from SERPs. Google often uses it (but not always) as a display snippet under the title.

The meta keywords tag, on the other hand, has never had this display function. It was purely intended for algorithms. And since these algorithms have excluded it, it serves no purpose anymore — neither for ranking, user experience, nor display.

• The meta keywords tag is totally ignored by Google for years — it is not a devaluation, it is a complete exclusion
• The other major search engines (Bing, Yandex, Baidu) have adopted the same stance: no positive benefit
• Unlike the meta description, this tag has no impact on SERP display or CTR
• Investing time in filling it out is a waste of resources that could be allocated to effective optimizations
• If your CMS automatically generates this tag, you can leave it, but don’t waste time customizing it

Is this statement consistent with field observations?

Absolutely. For at least a decade, no serious SEO test has managed to demonstrate a measurable impact of the meta keywords tag on Google ranking. Audits of well-ranked sites show that the majority do not even use it.

The few cases where correlations have been observed can always be explained by other factors: content quality, backlinks, domain authority. In short, the meta keywords tag is a relic of the past that lingers in some CMS out of inertia, but has no operational function anymore.

Are there any edge cases where it might have some interest?

Technically, it could serve as internal documentation for editorial teams — a sort of repository of the keywords targeted by each page. But let's be honest: this is a misapplied use, and there are far more effective tools for mapping your keywords (Google Sheets, Ahrefs, Semrush, your own CMS).

Some SEOs also mention the hypothesis that Google might use it against you if you insert blatant spam — a sort of negative signal. But even that is speculative. [To be verified] Google's official position is clear: they simply do not read it. If you want to self-penalize, there are much more effective ways (like keyword stuffing in visible content).

Should this tag be removed from existing pages?

Not necessarily. If it is already present and automatically generated by your CMS, removing it will change nothing — neither positively nor negatively. Google ignores it, so its presence or absence is neutral.

However, if you are redesigning or manually optimizing your templates, it’s a good idea to clean up the HTML code and remove this tag. It slightly lightens the page weight (albeit a microscopic gain) and prevents giving bad habits to junior members who might think it is still useful.

What should you do if your site still uses this tag?

If your CMS automatically generates the meta keywords tag, you have two options. First option: leave it in place if it doesn't cost you any management time — it doesn't harm, it's just unnecessary. Second option: remove it during your next template update to clean up the HTML code and avoid any confusion.

In any case, do not waste another second filling it out manually. This time is infinitely better spent optimizing the title, meta description, Hn structure, semantic content, internal linking, or Core Web Vitals.

What elements should you focus your efforts on instead?

Prioritize tags that have a real impact on SEO. The title remains the strongest on-page signal for thematic relevance — it should contain your main keyword and be crafted to encourage clicks. The meta description, while not a direct ranking factor, influences CTR and thus indirectly organic traffic.

Next, invest in the quality of the content itself: semantic richness, precise answers to search intent, coherent Hn structure, strategic internal linking. These elements, unlike the meta keywords, are indeed factored into Google's algorithms and have a measurable impact on your performance.

How to audit and correct this point on an existing site?

Run a crawl using Screaming Frog, Oncrawl, or Botify to identify all pages that still contain a meta keywords tag. Export the list, then decide if you want to remove this tag en masse through a template modification, or simply leave it in place without touching it.

If you choose to remove it, do it neatly: modify your CMS template (WordPress, Shopify, Drupal, etc.) so that new pages no longer generate this tag. For older pages, an HTML cleanup script or bulk update via your CMS can speed up the process. These technical optimizations, while seemingly simple, can become complex on large-scale sites — in which case, hiring a specialized SEO agency allows you to delegate these tasks and benefit from personalized support to structure your priorities.

• Immediately stop manually filling out the meta keywords tag on new pages
• Audit your site with a crawler to identify pages that still use this tag
• Decide whether to remove it (clean up the code) or leave it in place (neutral, no impact)
• Reallocate the saved time towards optimizing elements that matter: title, meta description, content, internal linking
• Train your editorial and technical teams so they no longer waste time on this obsolete tag
• Document this decision in your internal SEO guidelines to avoid future confusion