Pages without meta keywords do better in Google?

To use keywords, or not, in Google

[JackieC]

I've noticed that the top listings in Google don't use keywords, just tons of anchor links. Is it safe to say that a page with the same incoming anchor links will rank higher in google if there are no keywords?

[aravindgp]

Powdork
Thanks for the info.
So guys I have a question, when submitting to search engines do the webmasters see what meta keyword is used?

Aravind

[creative craig]

The description tag I always use, as people have said before Google some times use it for a description of sites :)

Craig

[fathom]

Excellent creative craig!

This past update continues to prove that Google still reads and uses Meta Description -- it is the only place you will find a few selected "typos" and when the "typo" is used as a query "the snippet" doesn't.

[Shoestring]

This past update continues to prove that Google still reads and uses Meta Description -- it is the only place you will find a few selected "typos" and when the "typo" is used as a query "the snippet" doesn't.

I'm curious if anyone has seen the same result on Google with use of a "typo" in the keyword meta tag. I seem to remember someone stating this a while back, although they may have been refering to using them in alt tags...

I've always used meta keywords as a rule, even knowing they have little to no benefit the last couple of years. I'm inclined to pull them off of a few specific pages that need help in the Google serps while also keeping an eye on INK resuls.

[GamblinTraveler]

I am suspicious that removing the KEYWORD meta tag moves all your page content up which gives your early keywords more weight. Adding 127 characters of keywords moves your key content down 127 characters. That's a big deal!

I haven't verified this, though.

[europeforvisitors]

Adding 127 characters of keywords moves your key content down 127 characters. That's a big deal!

Do you have any evidence to support that view? I'll admit that I'm skeptical. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Google simply skips over the meta keywords line--but in any case, a 127-character list of keywords is a small amount of text (unless, of course, it's dumped into a page title!).

[creative craig]

If it was 1,000 keywords it wouldnt make any difference. If Google doesn't read and take any notice of what it says there it wont make matter.

I am only making a reference to Google, not Ink or any other directory that may glance at the keyword tag :)

Craig

[edited by: creative_craig at 5:05 pm (utc) on April 29, 2003]

[Powdork]

Do they count towards the 101 kb that Google will index?

[GamblinTraveler]

As a test I removed all my keyword meta tags for one month on a select list of pages. My Google serps went up but all the rest of the SEs crashed and burned -- especially ink.

Granted, not a scientific study, but enough to make me suspect.

[ogletree]

What do you mean by 101kb. Does Google only look at the first 101kb? I have a lot of junk at the top of my site bexause of a dhtml menu. Why does google have to make us so paranoid? I want to have a site that looks good. It seems like Google wants everybody to go back to the 90's and have ugly pages.