By Jono Craig July 2002, update October 2002

It's Saturday night and I'm explaining to my new acquaintance that I am a search engine optimization consultant.

"Oh... So you add meta tags to Websites" concludes my acquaintance.

I breathe out slowly. "Yes, that a part of what I do..." I offer, wondering how on earth did search engine optimization earn such a humble job description.

Today Meta tags are possibly the most misapplied aspect of search engine optimization. In this article, I'm going to dispense with some current Top meta tag myths.

These very myths separate professionally optimized sites from the amateurs. They can make the difference between being treated favorably by search engines or not.

Myth 1: "Add all the meta tags you can find."
Take a look under the surface of a few Websites out there (view their HTML source in your browser's View>Source option). Numerous sites have some incredible tags.

More on meta tags

If you want to know what a meta tag looks like (the code) and where to put them, read Pandia's article on how to optimize Web page elements.
It's as if the Website developer wanted to cover all possible bases with as many tags as possible. They will have copyright, author, region and distribution tags alongside the more common ones.

Remember the old maxim; kiss? Keep it simple stupid. I have to remind myself of this often. Unless you are absolutely confident of individual tags, don't add them. Worse yet, some Website authors make up their own tags. Quaint it is, pretty it ain't.

Myth 2: "Have lots & lots of keywords."
I mentioned the correct use of keywords in my article on Building a search engine optimized Website.

Personally I avoid placing too much faith and dependence upon the ubiquitous Keyword tag. Yes it has merit and place but is also very likely to become near redundant before the year is out.

Google ignores this tag. If you consider the amount of spamdexing (stuffing of Keywords shamelessly into Keyword Tags) it's not hard to figure out that the search engines have to treat this tag with caution.

[In September also AltaVista abandoned the keyword meta tag. This means that Inktomi is the only major search engine supporting this tag. The Editor.]

Keep the number of repeated keywords to a maximum of three. Use Keywords, which are relevant to your page and target market.

Myth 3: "Keyword lists must have a formula."
This includes: "it's better to add Keywords with or without commas."

A moot point in the SEO world, there appears to be numerous options. Keywords followed by a comma with no space or keywords followed with a comma and then one space and finally, keywords separated with a space and no comma.

One theory exists that the last option is better; it allows the search engine to mix and match combinations of your presented keywords into possible phrases. Ultimately one has to be careful not to get too distracted by this tag - don't misuse it and definately don't expect miracles from it.

Myth 4: "The Title tag doesn't really do much."
Out of all the tags, this is definitely the most important when used correctly. Similar to writing your site content; write your Title tag for your audience first and the search engines second.

It is a delicate balance between tweaking the ratio to favor the search engines but always consider whether or not the Title tag would motivate a click through.

Create a standard or guide for your site's tags. The various search engines have their own limits so its nest to aim for some middle ground. You may wish to set an outer limit or maximum of 90 characters with spaces (cws).

Consider your site branding and navigation issues (where exactly am I?) as you create your Title tags.

Myth 5: "If I copy my competitor's tags I will do just as well."
It's not about the number of tags or number of keywords etc. It's about understanding tags and the intricacies of search engine optimization in general.

I personally recommend a minimal set of meta tags, namely, Title, Description & Keywords.

What may work on a competitor's site is still subject to a wide array of other factors including; the URL, link popularity, page content, site structure, keywords & phrases, image alt tags, alongside numerous spider or index factors. Search engine algorithms notoriously cycle through a variety of changes. Know your tags but also get to know your broader search engine optimization requirements.

Myth 6: "If I repeat my Keywords and Descriptions in a comment tag I will rank better."
There was a time when this technique was in vogue for search engines, which may have read and indexed comment tags. Today we know that it's safer to refrain from code, which may be misconstrued as spam.

There is no need to repeat your tags.

Myth 7: "We have to have as many different Keywords as possible throughout our site."
This becomes a search engine optimizer's headache. The client clinging to this notion regardless. The marketer spending hours looking for extra keywords to add. Often the keywords they want to include are not even mentioned in the page content.

Identify a theme or focus for each particular page. If it can be covered in 10 - 20 Keywords or key phrases which are actually found on that page, all the better. Yes, there can be a place for synonyms (words with similar or related meanings).

Keep page content to tag content relevance in mind. Some search engines will permit misspelled Keywords, which are not actually found on the page.

Myth 8: "Anyone can write the tags for a Website."
Search engine optimization calls upon a new range of skills. Ensure that the person writing your tags is passionate about results. What you put in is what you will get out.

A certain amount of copywriting flair combined with focused marketing objective is required. Writing tags to entice both discerning humans and search engine spiders is no trivial task.

Myth 9. "The Description tag isn't important - since Google doesn't use it."
Google generates a page snippet or a 'ransom note' comprising of parts of actual page content. Should this not be available, a relevant DMOZ Description is used. There are instances when Google will make use of a supplied Website Description tag.

Don't forget that a lot of search engines do still make use of your Description tag. If it's compelling and succinctly describes your Website's unique sales proposition, this may in conjunction with your Title tag be the pull that draws your visitor to click through.

Essential Tags Summary:
These are general recommendations; always determine the optimum guideline for your site based on your search engine target.

Title tag: 5 - 10 words, including the company name and relevant keywords, 90 characters with spaces (90 cws).
Description tag: Concise summary of the page, an upper limit of perhaps, 170 characters with spaces (170 cws).
Keyword tag: An upper limit of 900 characters with spaces - keep it simple and relevant. 10 - 20 Keywords per page (900 cws).
In some instances (Title/Description tag) the search engines may produce a truncated result. Your Title tag or Description may therefore be abbreviated or cut short if it exceeds a particular search engines limit. Bear this in mind when writing your tags.

Use unique tags per page - i.e. each page should have its own Title tag etc.

I'm holding out until the day arrives, when search engine optimization is recognized as the new digital economy skill, that it truly is. Until then, smile politely and explain the subtle challenges we now face should a new acquaintance loudly summarize your job description.

See also Pandia's article on Using meta tags in search engine optimization .

Jono reveals some top SEO resources
Use on-line resources to help you ensure you have peppered or seasoned your content with a good mix of relevant keywords:

WordTracker
Overture Suggestion Tool
Google AdWords Keyword Suggestions
Google Search (Search Google for specific title tag results)
Keyword Counter
Keyword Density Analyzer

(see Pandia SEO Gateway for more tools)

Learn more about search engine optimization:

Make use of Pandia's huge palette of search engine ranking tools, resources, books, articles and more.

Go on to the article "Further search engine optimization myths dispelled"

Jono Craig is a search engine optimization consultant in pursuit of conversion marketing. Viewing Web design as a holistic process, he underlines the need to understand the relationships between SEO, usability & ultimately conversion.

Jono is a partner with SEO Consultant, Michelle Stoltz and their company, Craig Media, provides search engine optimization consultation to its international client base. Craig Media is networked with key several SEO companies to expand its service base.