Meta Keyword Tag

What is a meta keyword tag and why should I use it?
A meta keyword tag lists all the keywords for which you would like search engines to rank your site. Although not all search engines support this tag, you should use it for the ones that do.

Note: Meta tags are hidden in a document's source, invisible to the reader. Some search engines, however, are able to incorporate the content of meta tags into their algorithms. No engines penalize sites that use meta tags properly, so it's recommended that you always include them.

Here's an example of a meta keyword tag:

Keywords in the meta keyword tag
This is what the tag is all about! You don't have to come up with any sentences; just list your keywords in order of importance. Include all your most important keywords. It's recommended that you repeat the same keyword 3-7 times, but not in a row.

The length of the meta keyword tag
Search engines vary in their size preferences for meta keyword tags. MSN, for example, will accept a meta keyword tag up to 1024 characters long, while HotBot specifies 75 characters as its guideline.

Hotbot's guideline is unusual, however. Typically the meta keyword tag is pretty large. We checked out some of Hotbot's top-ranking pages in various categories and found that many of them used meta keyword tags much larger than 75 characters. Therefore, use 1024 characters as your guideline.

Avoid Spam
Avoid repeating keywords more than 3-7 times; you can get penalized for that. Up to 3 repetitions are recommended -- just don't place them one after the other.

Spamming

Spamming (as related to searchengines) is forcing unsolicited or unwanted web pages into a search engine's database.

People that have learned how spiders work, also learned how to fool them. Although your site may be of high-quality content, if you use any of behaviors defined as spamming, it can be blacklisted.

For directories, spamming usually means choosing an inappropriate category, capitalizing all letters, or using marketing language.

For search engines, definition of spamming varies. The following list includes behaviors defined as spamming by the top six engines: inappropriate site titles, descriptions and keywords; repetition of keywords, same color text and background (invisible text), tiny text, submitting more than once in a 24 hour period, mirror sites that point to different URLs, and meta refresh tags.