meta tag on php included pages

Is it needed?

[TRiley]

Hi all,
I'm using php navigation for my new site, with each page having a css layer with the php include function to bring in other pages when the links are clicked, in the format of: index.php?page=

But, I'm just wondering if I need meta tag keywords and descriptions on all the other pages of my site?

[tedster]

No page really "needs" meta description and keywords - many pages rank at the top of highly competitive searches without them. Because meta tags are invisible to the visitor, many page builders used them to manipulate the search engine algorithms. So out of self-defense, the search engines began to devalue the meta tag content and use other measures to determine what a page is about.

However, the tags can still be helpful to a degree on some search engines, and in recent times Google is making more visible use of the description meta tag on their search results.

If you want the extra boost that meta tags can give a page, then a unique set of tags for each individual page is the way to go. Make them very specific for the page itself.

[TRiley]

ok thank you for the reply. :)
I'll place around 5 keywords in every page then and have all the keywords and descriptions on the main page.

[g1smd]

>> I'll place around 5 keywords in every page then and have all the keywords and descriptions on the main page. <<

That last bit sounds like a very bad idea.

Each page should have its own title and description.

The main page should not have "all" of the stuff from the other pages mentioned.