Meta data stored in database & Google

[AngelJill]

Quick question .... the main text on the index page of our site is static html text but the meta data (keywords & description) are stored in our database. Will this matter to Google - we are listing in page 2 & 3 now for 2 of our keywords so we must be doing something right, but would appreciate some advice re the meta tags if anyone knows?

[mattk]

Firstly, metatags are very low priority in the opinion of Google. Secondly, no, being stored in a database shouldn't effect the way Google view them.

[RedSofa]

Viewing the meta data of your competitors is a great way of stealing their keywords, and potential SEO/PPC strategy.

If they still use meta data that is.

In my next website update - I am removing my meta data.

[multilingual]

In my next website update - I am removing my meta data.

Not sure I agree with that move.

JB

[DuaneJackson]

Viewing the meta data of your competitors is a great way of stealing their keywords, and potential SEO/PPC strategy.

If they still use meta data that is.

In my next website update - I am removing my meta data.

There goes the definition of twisted logic!

[awebapart.com]

It sounds like you have a content management system (CMS) which allows you to manage some of the content on your website, e.g. metatags, but not other parts (like the static HTML home page).

Although the CMS stores the metatags in the database, it also delivers and embeds this information into the web pages when they are requested, so google sees a web pag with metatags. Your metatags are in the database, in the CMS, and in your webpages. You can verify this by visiting a page, clicking on the browser's view source and looking for description and keywords.

Some of your meta descriptions on your product pages are very small (3 words), and in these cases Google will ignore desciptions and display the more relevant content of the page in the results, but as mentioned before, these tags aren't as important as they used to be.

[RedSofa]

Why bother using the meta keyword tag?

Google doesn't use it or at least places very little weight on it, and Yahoo places very little significance on it.

The search engines now use the content for relevancy, so surely providing good quality title, description and content, which contains your keywords, is much better for SEO.

What benefits are there of using the keyword tag?

[multilingual]

Why bother using the meta keyword tag?

Google doesn't use it or at least places very little weight on it, and Yahoo places very little significance on it.

The search engines now use the content for relevancy, so surely providing good quality title, description and content, which contains your keywords, is much better for SEO.

What benefits are there of using the keyword tag?

This is a complicated one to answer, and I don't have time to explain my theory in full, so here is a synopsis:

There may be no benefits of using the keyword tag for SEO purposes, which is exactly why you should include it. ;)

JB

[awebapart.com]

Meta Keywords do still help on Yahoo if you have any words that have common mis-spellings, although if it is important to be found on a mis-spelling it is probably better to include it somewhere in your content, e.g. "when sending e-mail to Inkz4U please note that the name has a z in it, Inkz4U not Inks4U".

[mattk]

Google doesn't use it or at least places very little weight on it, and Yahoo places very little significance on it.

What benefits are there of using the keyword tag?
So you've answered your own question. For no effect at all you have something that might give you a teeny-weeny bit of help up the SERPs.