The Role of Meta Tags in Modern SEO: Are keywords, og:keywords, and twitter:keywords Still Effective?

With the evolving algorithms of search engines and social media platforms, some meta tags that were once crucial for SEO have lost their former significance. Specifically, meta tags like keywords, og:keywords, and twitter:keywords have almost lost their relevance in modern SEO and social media optimization. This article will discuss the current status of these tags and provide optimization recommendations.

1. The Current Status of the keywords Meta Tag

Historical Role: The keywords meta tag was once a core component of SEO, allowing webmasters to convey the primary keywords of a page to search engines. However, with Google announcing in 2009 that it no longer considers the keywords meta tag as a ranking factor, the importance of this tag in SEO has rapidly declined.

Modern Role:

• SEO Impact: Essentially ineffective. Modern search engine algorithms are more complex, relying primarily on page content and user behavior to determine page relevance rather than the keywords meta tag.
• Recommendation: Ignore the keywords meta tag and focus more on improving page content quality and user experience.

2. The Role of the og:keywords Meta Tag

Background: The og:keywords meta tag is part of the Open Graph protocol and theoretically used to convey keyword information when sharing on social media platforms. However, since the Open Graph protocol does not officially support the og:keywords tag, it has never been widely adopted or effectively used.

Modern Role:

• Social Media Impact: Ineffective. Major social platforms do not read or use the og:keywords tag.
• Recommendation: Ignore this tag and focus on other more effective Open Graph tags like og:title, og:description, and og:image.

3. The Current Status of the twitter:keywords Meta Tag

Background: Similar to og:keywords, the twitter:keywords tag is an unofficial tag for social media optimization, but it has not been widely adopted or used by Twitter or other social media platforms.

Modern Role:

• Social Media Impact: Ineffective. Twitter does not use the twitter:keywords tag to assess content relevance.
• Recommendation: Ignore this tag and focus on effective Twitter Card tags like twitter:title, twitter:description, and twitter:image.

Conclusion

Meta tags such as keywords, og:keywords, and twitter:keywords have lost their practical significance in modern SEO and social media optimization. To optimize your website, it is recommended to focus on content quality, user experience, and other more impactful meta tags such as meta description, Open Graph, and Twitter Card tags. These are the key optimization tools for current SEO and social media visibility.