can a search engine index an improprely coded meta keyword?

[katiebear]

A potential client incorrectly codes their meta keywords in the format below.

<meta name="KEYWORDS" content=""keyword1", "keyword2", "keyword3" />

I think this could help us get the business. Here are my questions:
Could a search engine index the code above? How could I show the potential client the keywords are not being index? Which search engines still use Meta keywords?

Thanks!

[ihelpyou]

I think Inktomi and Fast are the only ones that still use it. Not much emphasis for it however. I really don't think it matters at all. Some smaller engines may use that tag as well. It's really no big deal though. With the quote marks in the tag, I'm not sure how a spider would react to it.

[katiebear]

Thanks for reply.

I understand that the meta keywords amount to little within the algorithm. However, the potential client thinks it is the answer to getting good poistions. If I can show them somehow that their meta keywords are not being index in the search engines, I think we can get the business and get them focus on their content and not their meta tags. Is there any way to check to see if the search engines index their keywords?

[ihelpyou]

You have a non issue there. You have to 'teach' the client what it takes. That keyword tag means nothing to the search engines. Most ignore it completely. The spiders do Not index keywords. They index the page and the content. Teach the client the right way and you are better off. That tag is a non starter and should not be used to get a client.

[katiebear]

Doug,

Thanks.

This potential client is a fortune 500 company. It would add on 6 months to try an explain it to them.

Is there a way to check to see if search engines have indexed the meta keywords?

[ihelpyou]

Like I said Katiebear;

search engines do Not index meta keywords. It's a non-issue.

[katiebear]

Thanks again Doug.

Can you point to an article/content on a search engine that says this? I would like to show my bosses in writing. Thanks.

[MsSearch]

Instead of focusing on the Meta tags, i would point the client in the direction of articles stating what the search engines look for, i.e. content, titles, link pop, etc...

Examples of places to look for articles: ClickZ, Highranking.com (Advisor articles), search engine watch, etc.

If they won't listen to you, then you probably don;t want to work with them and may even suggest finding a different SEO to use....

[ihelpyou]

Yes. There is plenty of threads in these forums you can show him about how irrelevant the keywords tag is. We talk about it in here almost daily.

Simply point him to these forums. Many more experts in here than any one article could give you.

[Phoenix]

The only way I can see to provide empirical evidence would be to do a search for keywords that are in the list but not anywhere else on the page. I don't know how practical this would be unless there were some very unusual words in the list...otherwise you will have a large number of results and unless the potential client wants to wade through all of them they will still have to take your word for the fact that they don't show and, as Doug said, "it's a non-issue."

I remember years ago when I did searches and would see a list of keywords following the title of the site, but that was a loooong time ago (in Internet time). You will just have to convince them that SEs are more sophisticated now and that the content is what is important. Show them how Google takes snippets of the text of the site. It's easier to prove what does happen than what doesn't happen.

MB

[ihelpyou]

It's just a fact that 'bosses' out there are living in the dark ages. A few years ago things were different. The keyword tag actually meant something. Because of abuse of the tag and on-page factors starting to weigh in more, that tag is not necessary. Actually, you could just delete that tag and be just fine. I only still use it out of habit as there truly is not much need for it anymore.

Katie, what you need to grasp is that a search engine 'indexes' pages. They don't 'index' a keywords tag. They never did. They USE to use that tag, but Never indexed it. Now, they barely acknowledge the tag even exists. The content(visible words) on the page is what really matters. Links coming into the page matters as well.

If your boss does not wish to listen to the facts, then he/she is a lost cause anyway. :)

[katiebear]

I appreciate everyone's advice.