How important are meta tags to Yahoo

keywords and description

[ownerrim]

Never really bothered optimizing with yahoo in mind. But I read recently that google (google and those it provides search to) accounts for 48 percent of queries while yahoo provides 32 percent.

32 percent is significant. So, how important for yahoo is it to provide a meta description and meta keywords list?

[Span]

ownerrim,

from some simple ranking test pages I had a while ago it looked like keywords in the meta keywords tag and in the meta description tag have more weight than the same keywords in italic or bold tags or in the alt attribute.

[ownerrim]

Thanks span.

I hate the thought of doing it, but I was thinking of going back through a couple of sites and adding unique meta descriptions based on the content of each page.

[larryhatch]

Good idea! Meta-keywords and meta-descriptions are different on every page on my site.
I make sure KWs appear somewhere in the text. I avoid cookie-cutter one-size-fits-all metas. -Larry

[jd01]

I don't use either descriptions or keywords, except on a few pages. All of my pages do well.

I think they are good for smaller engines, but with the big ones there does not seem to be much point... take 5 or more highly competitive queries, and look to see what other sites in the top ten are doing. What you find might very well suprize you.

I actually believe with G, Y and M you have a better chance of hurting you site with 'essentially the same' descriptions, than you do of helping you site by using them. Much like KeyWord Density... It doesn't matter that much any more and it really can't - manipulation would be way too easy. JMHO

Justin

[robotsdobetter]

Meta tags are not going to help you that much in ranking, but they are taken into count and you be smart to use it and sometimes they use the Meta description tag for your search listing. It can't hurt to use it.