Understanding Meta Keywords

[allpoints]

Hi,

I am trying to understand how to use the "Meta Keywords" for SEO most effectivley.  I don't know if I should have a number of signle words seperated by commas in my keywords box, or a number of phrases. For example, we are a chiropractic office. I assume people will search things like chiropractor in portland for back pain. Do I want to write that whole phrase without commas, or each word with a comma in between each word so if any of those words are entered they are meta keywords. I just want to optimize use of meta keywrods. Can someone help me?

[Erin6 · Accepted solution]

Hiya!

I'm happy to help you! Instead of using that whole phrase, I would use something like the following:

chiropractor Portland, back pain Portland, chiropractor back pain Portland

You'll also want to do the same type of combinations with the name of your business. I think of meta keywords as kind of a matching game. You submit your list in the hopes that people will also be searching for these keywords and find your site! So, the more combinations that you believe people will search with, the better. 

I also recommend highlighting a specialty that you have (in both your Site Description and Meta Keywords). Ask yourself what makes your practice special. Is it special because you focus on sports or some other specific niche of medicine? Or is there something else that makes your practice stand out? If so, use it to your advantage!

Thanks, and enjoy your day!

Erin

Weebly Community Manager

[Erin6 · Accepted solution]

Hiya!

I'm happy to help you! Instead of using that whole phrase, I would use something like the following:

chiropractor Portland, back pain Portland, chiropractor back pain Portland

You'll also want to do the same type of combinations with the name of your business. I think of meta keywords as kind of a matching game. You submit your list in the hopes that people will also be searching for these keywords and find your site! So, the more combinations that you believe people will search with, the better. 

I also recommend highlighting a specialty that you have (in both your Site Description and Meta Keywords). Ask yourself what makes your practice special. Is it special because you focus on sports or some other specific niche of medicine? Or is there something else that makes your practice stand out? If so, use it to your advantage!

Thanks, and enjoy your day!

Erin

Weebly Community Manager

[MDR]

I have 3 sites with weebly now and am not a programmer.

Can you direct me to where on my home page I can add search phases for optimization? Also any tips for google optimization and recognition, like adding my page in google webmaster etc.. Also any other reccomadations along the SEO would be helpful..

I will call also

sites:

www.noahcode.org

www.genesisalive.com

www.longhunters.org

Kind regards,

Mark

[email protected]

[Queso]

Hello MDR! If you haven't seen it already, I'd highly recommend our SEO guide here. It's made to get your site up and optimized.

[michaelm73]

For anyone searching on this, meta keywords no longer have any relevance in search engines (except BaiDu Chinese search engine, but you will have to enter the keywords in Chinese, so....... basically no use to most people here). For more info:

https://blogs.bing.com/webmaster/2014/10/03/blame-the-meta-keyword-tag/

@Adamwhy are there keyword input boxes available on the page SEO settings and also on the site SEO settings? This will just confuse people..... and adds nothing to their site.

[Adam7]

I don't know the specific reasons why we chose to leave them and I don't want to assume, although you are 100% right that they aren't really relevant. I don't think it actually hurts anything by filling them out, though.

[michaelm73]

Hi @Adam, it won't hurt anything, but there will be many people who will assume they *should* fill them out because the boxes are there, and may spend an inordinate amount of time doing so, for no benefit at all. As I did before I started seriously researching all this stuff. Want to save those people the same pain!

[Robin12 · Accepted solution]

Hello @allpoints

You can use a mix of phrases and keywords. However, please do choose your phrases well, because in order for your site to be returned. The searcher will have to search for the exact phrase you entered. For example, if you use the phrase, "chiropractor in portland for back pain". Then someone searches portland chiropractors specializing in back pain. Then your site will not rank for that particular phrase. For that reason, I suggest using "chiropractors in Portland" , "Portland chiropractors", "best chiropractors in Portland", etc. Limiting the number of phrases. Then use simply keywords for everything else, related to chiropractors.

You can always use phrases in your site's content. That also match the phrases used in the keywords area, along with more phrases and keywords that you feel people will search for. Think of why someone would be looking for a chiropractor, include a list of specialties, such as back pain, neck pain, pain relief, accupuncture, etc.

Also, a number of people will simply search for chiropractors near me. For that reason it is a great idea to include location area in your site. Such as zip codes that you service, cities that are close by. That way you not only appear for Portland, but even for Beaverton, Raleigh-hills, Happy Valley, etc. Google will pick up on that searcher's IP address and determine where they are searching from. That will help determine what sites appear for them.  If that person is in Beaverton and ask for chiropractors near me. There is a good chance, that your site will fall into that list.

Finally, an extra tip. Get your business into all of the business listing sites. Such as Yelp, Yellowpages, Google places, etc.

There are aggregator services, that allow you to submit to all of the sites at once and manage that listing in one place. Such as, http://www.expressupdate.com/why_express_update and https://mybusinesslistingmanager.myacxiom.com/

Search for other chiropractor sites in your area and outside of your area. That can help you with determining what content to include and give you some inspiration.

I hope this information helps. Please let me know if you have any questions.

[rfabiano]

Should the quotation marks also go in?

[Adam7]

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@rfabiano wrote:

Should the quotation marks also go in?

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No, you can just separate your keywords with commas:

keyword one, keyword two, keyword three, and so on.

[rfabiano]

thank you!

[Adam7]

Not a problem - glad to help!

[ALaffertyDesign]

 l also learned in the Weebly SEO vid that we can leave out the spaces after the commas... that gave me 17 new characters that I could use

[michaelm73]

From what I have read meta keywords are of no use at all and should be avoided eg:

https://yoast.com/meta-keywords/

[HCQ]

Do I put spaces after the commas?

[Adam7]

You can if you want, but you don't need to @HCQ.

[GreggyPaul]

Hey,

what about apostrophes eg Gay Men's Support Group ?

or punctuation eg St.Kilda Gay Men's Support Group

Thanks for the clear help you have been giving.

Greg

[Brodie]

GreggyPaul, I would suggest including punctuation.