Is the meta keywords tag really pointless for SEO?

Why does this tag still exist in some CMSs?

The meta keywords tag dates back to the 1990s when search engines were primitive and relied on webmasters' declarations. Back then, you would place your keywords in this tag, and the bots would take them into account to rank your page.

The problem? Massive spam. Webmasters stuffed this tag with hundreds of terms, often unrelated to the actual content. Google and other engines quickly realized that this tag was too manipulable to be reliable. By the 2000s, its weight in the algorithm had melted away like snow in the sun.

Since when has Google ignored this tag?

Google publicly confirmed in 2009 that it does not use the meta keywords tag for ranking anymore. No reduced weight, no weak signal: zero usage. This stance has never changed since.

John Mueller regularly reiterates this to debunk persistent myths. Some SEOs continue to fill out this tag out of habit or tradition, convinced that it has a micro-impact. That's false. You could put your favorite recipes or insults in there; Google doesn't care at all.

Do other engines still use this tag?

Bing has confirmed the same thing as Google: no use of meta keywords for organic ranking. Yandex and Baidu also do not use it to rank pages.

There are a few internal or niche search engines that might theoretically read it, but their market share is so marginal that it doesn't warrant any effort. If you're doing SEO for a corporate intranet with a custom engine, check the technical documentation — otherwise, forget about this tag.

• Google hasn't used meta keywords since 2009, a position regularly confirmed.
• Bing and other modern engines also ignore it for ranking.
• The tag can remain in place without harm, but serves absolutely no purpose.
• Removing this tag slightly lightens the HTML code without SEO risk.
• No major search engine reads it to rank your pages.

Is this statement consistent with field observations?

Absolutely. No serious empirical test has ever shown any positive impact of meta keywords on Google ranking over the past 15 years. SEO audits regularly reveal well-ranked sites without this tag, and poorly ranked sites that meticulously fill it out.

Some SEO audit tools still flag the absence of meta keywords as a "warning". It's a historical artifact in their scoring logic, not a founded recommendation. Ignore these alerts — they just reflect that the tool hasn't been updated in years.

Is there a risk in leaving this tag in place?

No, no direct risk. Google does not penalize sites that use meta keywords; it simply ignores them. However, this tag can reveal your keyword strategy to your competitors who inspect your source code.

Let's be honest: if a competitor needs to read your meta keywords to understand your strategy, they're probably not very threatening. But why give them a free clue? It’s better to clean up the code and avoid broadcasting your intentions.

Are there any particular cases that justify keeping it?

Some aging CMS or plugins automatically generate this tag without an option to properly disable it. In that case, leaving it in place is acceptable — but if you have control over the template, delete it.

Some SEOs claim that meta keywords could serve as an internal signal for enterprise search engines or closed platforms. [To be verified] on a case-by-case basis — but for the public web, it's a waste of time. If your client insists on keeping it "just in case", drop the debate and focus on projects that truly deliver results.

What should you actually do with this tag?

The simple answer: do nothing, or remove it if you feel like it. If your site already uses meta keywords, you can remove it from the template without any negative impact. If it doesn’t exist, definitely don’t add this tag.

Technically, removing meta keywords can slightly lighten the HTML weight of your pages — a few bytes per page. On a large site with several hundred thousand pages, that can represent a marginal bandwidth savings. But do not expect a measurable speed gain.

What mistakes should you avoid with this tag?

The most common mistake: wasting time filling it out. Some junior SEOs spend hours listing keywords in this tag, believing they're optimizing the site. That's time wasted that should be spent improving actual content, title/meta description tags, or internal linking.

Another trap: some premium SEO tools still include features for managing meta keywords. If your tool offers to "automatically generate" this tag, disable the option and move on. Don’t let a poorly configured software make you think this is important.

How to check that your site is properly optimized without this tag?

Inspect the source code of your main pages (Ctrl+U on Chrome). If you see <meta name="keywords" content="...">, then the tag is present. Note the affected templates (homepage, product sheets, articles, etc.).

Then modify your templates to remove this line. Test in a staging environment before deploying in production, especially if your CMS generates this tag via a third-party plugin. Once removed, check that the rest of the code has not been affected — some poorly coded plugins can break if you touch their tags.

• Remove meta keywords from your templates if you have access to the code.
• Do not waste time filling out this tag, even if a tool suggests it.
• Ensure your title and meta description tags are optimized — they actually count.
• Focus your energy on real content, semantic HTML structure, and internal links.
• If a client insists on keeping meta keywords, document in writing that it's unnecessary to cover yourself.
• Take the opportunity to check for other outdated tags (meta revisit-after, etc.).